I Am an AVENGER
by LadyInglorion
Summary: Raven Carter has never really thought about being the good guy. But with her ex-lover, Loki, searching for her, it might be the only option she has. Loki/OC. Set during the Avengers movie. Rated T for language and some suggestive themes. Please R&R! There are two OCs in this fic.
1. Hello Old Friend

**AN: Hi everybody! This is my first Avengers fic and I'm very excited to start working on it. Weirdly, the storyline came to me as a dream, and I thought it would make a great fic so here you go! ^.^ Hope you enjoy! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review, they give me incentive to keep writing! This story features two OCs. Thanks in advance, hope to hear from you soon! And now, without any further ado, The Story of Raven Carter.**

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I Am an Avenger – The Story of Raven Carter

I woke up more comfortable than I had anticipated. Warm burgundy sheets enclosed my bruised and battered body, and the fact that the memory-foam mattress was indented in the shape of a human indicated that I hadn't moved since I had collapsed several hours ago. I opened my eyes, but the room was so dark that it didn't do much good; for that, I was thankful. My head throbbed so the all encompassing blackness was an intense relief. I lay there for several minutes more, enjoying the calm quiet, letting the darkness eat my worries and pain away. I hadn't been this comfortable in weeks. Tony Stark sure knew how to treat a girl. That is, until he wakes up.

I was roused from my beloved fortress by a high pitched whine followed by a thunderous explosion. At first, I tried to block it out, rolling on my side and pulling a pillow over my ear; but it was no use. I cursed my most gracious host and rolled out of bed, literally, landing on the shag-rug carpet stomach-down without much drive to move further. However, that infernal blasting continued, inspiring me to get moving once again.

Tony had certainly cleaned up his act considerably since I'd seen him last; his humble abode had been transformed into a hideously ostentatious albeit impressive skyscraper in the middle of Manhattan, his research was remarkable verging on unprecedented, and he'd finally 'settled down' (though he would curse me for using that sort of terminology) with possibly the most appropriate woman I could imagine – the one and only Pepper Pots. The thought made me smile; Pepper and I had been best friends for as long as I had been living on earth. Our history together went far beyond college roommates, although we had been that as well. We were playground acquaintances, study buddies, each other's shoulders to cry on, wingmen, and most importantly, best friends. Another thing we had also shared was Tony. Though many women are torn apart by conflicting love interests, we were not; as with most things, we never quarreled. She went on to become the CEO of Stark Industries; I went on to become the Blue Sapphire, Master of the Elements, and… well, I didn't really want to think about that right now.

I followed my ears toward the sound of explosions, disregarding a condescending robotic voice telling me I wasn't authorized to be where I was. After stepping through a waterfall that turned out to be a projection and walking down a spiral staircase that seemed never ending, I found Tony working in an extensively cluttered laboratory with few windows and much machinery. I found the door open at my touch. Tony's back was to me as he worked, his bizarre music blasting obscenities into the air. He was bent over a large prosthetic arm plated in gold and red metal, tightening blots, soldering wires, and configuring commands. I waited patiently until he finished, watched as he slid his thin, tan arm into the contraption like a glove, and with that heinous whine that had awoken me, loosed a blast of blue energy into a roughly painted target. He toppled backwards head over heels, landing several feet away.

"I meant to fix that!" Tony Stark called out as smoke wafted upward toward a ventilation shaft.

Oh, I forgot to mention, on his list of accomplishments – Tony had become Ironman.

"I would imagine so," I stated mildly, taking a seat as Tony stumbled to his feet, struggling to haul his dysfunctional prosthesis back to the work table. Once he had accomplished that much, he flicked a switch and the music immediately shut off. He turned to face me, wiping his hands on his shirt, brown eyes surveying me.

"How was your… bed?" he asked awkwardly, dark black hair sticking up in random directions. I shrugged.

"Oh, fantastic," I responded sarcastically, but was interrupted by a loud, girlish cry.

"Raven?"

I turned, smile lighting up my face.

"Pepper!" I shouted back, tipping over my chair in my haste to embrace my best friend. She dashed toward me, ginger hair flying behind her and tackled me in a bone crushing hug. Beside ourselves in excitement, we giggled like little girls for several minutes, barely distinguishable babble passing between us as we reminisced over the old days.

"Never," interjected a gruff male voice, "will I understand the overly emotional state of the excited female human."

"Shut up, Tony!" we both cried as he offered a hand to Pepper. She took It and he pulled her to her feet. As a thank you she kissed his mouth firmly, and a look of elation I had never witnessed in my dealings with Tony crossed his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly as she pulled away, laughing. Tony might deny it outwardly, but Pepper was the most important thing in his life; any fool could see it in his eyes, in his expressions, and the way he held her. I smiled, climbing to my feet as well. Pepper grinned in my direction, hands pressed against Tony's chest.

"Have you had breakfast, Raven? You look starved!"

"I haven't," I answered, attempting to keep the ravenous hunger from seeping into my voice. "But you don't have to bother with me."

"Nonsense!" Pepper cried, looking appalled at the thought. "You're a guest, and a special guest at that! Come on, I'll fix you something." She broke out of Tony's embrace and all but skipped up the stairs. "You too, Tony!"

"We'll be up in a minute, Pepper," Tony called out, and Pepper left us alone in Tony's workshop.

"She certainly is happy now," I commented with a smile, looking away from her retreating figure. I was shocked to see Tony staring at me with a gloomy expression, brown eyes morose. I tilted my head in confusion. Strangely, he had nothing to say. I was used to the Tony Stark who never shut his trap. He regarded me coolly.

"Ready to eat?" he asked stiffly. I nodded. "Okay," he stated, striding past me to follow Pepper. I watched him go, confusion sparkling in my sapphire blue eyes. Something was definitely wrong here.

"We have some catching up to do, Tony," I called out as he walked away.

"Sure," he responded without looking back.

I followed, wondering what could possibly be so wrong.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, Raven," Pepper asked as I ravenously wolfed down several strips of bacon at once. It had been years since I had actually had real, genuine bacon. I nearly moaned as the grease dripped down my throat. I hoped that my appetite communicated to Pepper my gratitude. "What brings you here?"

I swallowed before answering.

"I had complications," I stated uneasily. "Long story short, my employer fired me and my former circumstances became too dangerous for me to remain where I was. I'm here for now until I can arrange for somewhere else to go." Pepper's face fell.

"Somewhere else," she said aloud. "Where were you planning to go..?"

"Home," I answered, avoiding eye contact. "Home to Naevah." I felt bad delivering this news to Pepper, seeing as this was the first time we had seen each other in years. But it was true; I was going to return to my home planet as soon as possible. I couldn't risk endangering her, Tony, or anyone else while Loki was still looking for me. I shuddered inwardly, pushing such thoughts away. "It will be a long while before I can establish communications with the council in order to open the bridge," I said reassuringly, but this didn't seem to lighten Pepper's mood. She sighed ad simply shoveled more bacon onto my plate. I avoided her eyes as I ate, aware of Tony watching me like a hawk…

**Tony Stark's POV**

It was less than surprising to find Raven standing on my doorstep, drenched in rain and as thin as a rail, long brown hair plastered to her face, and fair skin bloody. It wasn't, of course, an astonishment, when you considered the people she'd affiliated herself with. It was a wonder she'd made it out alive at all. I watched her eat bacon like a starved wolf, and I vaguely wondered how long it had been since she'd eaten a full meal. Then again, Raven always had an enormous appetite.

"I thought you were banished from the Naevah?" I questioned in order to make conversation.

Raven swallowed uncomfortably.

"I'm sure that once I explain my situation they'll lift my charges," she muttered.

"Your current situation doesn't redeem you in the slightest!" I argued. "You're on the run from Loki and Michael. Do you really think that your high and mighty council let you go back? They'll cite a threat to tranquility and use force to keep you out."

"Tony," Pepper cautioned. I stopped in my tirade to look at her. She shook her head in my direction. Under normal circumstances, I would have persisted with my rant, but this time I didn't. I sat back in my chair eying Raven skeptically. She glared back, never one to give up a fight, but foremost never one to upset Pepper. I remained at the table for only a second more, standing and walking off, head spinning in irritation. I ignored both Raven and Pepper's questions as to my behavior and stormed upstairs, heading nowhere in particular. I ended up in the bedroom I shared with Pepper. It was fixed exactly as she liked, down to the hospital bed corners on our king size mattress, the view of the bay, and the exact dimensions she had requested. I went straight to my private supply of alcohol.

"Sir," said Jarvis' voice as I began rummaging through the cooler. "Might I suggest waiting until later in the evening before you begin drinking? It's only 11:17…"

"Right you are, Jarvis," I responded, unstopping one of the bottles with my teeth and spitting the cork across the dark blue room. "Right you are."

My sudden anger might have confused Pepper and Raven, but its source was perfectly clear to me. The truth is, I screwed up. The truth is, I had put Pepper and myself in more danger than ever before, and even Raven, despite the fact she would die for us, despite the fact she was one of the most powerful supers that I knew, couldn't help us. I looked up into the eyes of a model Ironman suit and wished more than ever that it had never existed.

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**AN: Welp, what do yallz think? Please leave me a review before you go, thanks again for reading! **


	2. Lightning Crashes

Chapter 2 – Lightening Crashes

**Raven Carter's POV**

Pepper and I spent the day with numerous photo albums, chocolates, and a few drinks. We talked about the old days, memories from college, the crazy things we had done and the exams we had flunked, the hopeless boys who sidled up to us in bars trying to get in our pants, and long girl-to-girl talks into the dead of night. Eventually our conversation turned to the younger, love struck Tony Stark. We laughed as we recalled how he had followed us around like a pathetic dog, doing everything in his power to get with one of us. He'd tried to impress us with feats of strength and intelligence, and when that failed he turned to wooing us with flowers, jewelry, and other various gifts. He carried on this way for at least a year, despite numerous women who came his way. He slept with them, but never did he relent in his chase for us. It wasn't uncommon for us to all be seen together; though he might have wanted sex, he was also our closest friend and protector. We could always count on him to keep other men off of us in bars, even if it wasn't always what we wanted.

After months of his pestering, I agreed to go out with him. Both devoted drinkers, philanthropists, and borderline suffers of depression, we hit it off fantastically. The sex was good, and the best part was that our partnership caused no rift between Pepper and myself. She soon claimed a boyfriend of her own, then Private James Rhodes, and life was just splendid. However, that all changed when Loki appeared.

Tall. Thin. Long, dark, silky hair. Hazel eyes that seemed to stare straight through you. A voice like sounded like liquid gold. Ironically, it was on a date with Pepper and Tony that I found him, wandering through New York aimlessly. As usual, Tony was flirting mercilessly with Pepper. Even though I was the one who finally caved under the weight of his dashing good looks, persistence, and friendship, I knew deep down it was always Pepper that he wanted, and vice versa. This I didn't mind; my interest in Tony was "friends-with-benefits," and nothing more. It was true we cared deeply for each other, but we were best friends only. And when I caught Loki's intense dark gaze, sparks flew. We were two supernatural individuals searching for something more. How could anyone blame me for the path I followed?

"Do you remember when Tony got into that fight in the Fishbowl Bar with Rhodey?" Pepper's voice knocked me out of my reverie. I shook my head, glancing at my watch. I had no idea how much time had elapsed since we had begun our little stroll down memory lane, but by now the sun had nearly set and my stomach growled. I was ready for dinner.

"I do," I responded, getting to my feet and pulling Pepper along with me. "It's funny that they're inseparable now." Pepper nodded as we began to walk.

"Rhodey is a Lieutenant Colonel now. He also is Tony's crime-fighting partner. He wears a bigger suit," she told me. I smiled.

"So fitting," I snickered, and we both smirked at the innuendo. "Will Tony come back for dinner?"

Pepper shrugged absently. It was obvious she was used to this sort of behavior from Tony.

"He might, or he might not. He's been extremely agitated lately. I was actually hoping that he might talk to you about what is bugging him."

"I'll see what I can do," I promised. "No guarantees though, you know how Tony is."

Pepper nodded.

"I know, but if you can figure it out… You'll let me know, right?"

"Of course," I answered. We proceeded in silence to the kitchen where Jarvis had our dinner prepared.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I found Tony on the roof of Stark Tower dressed in full Ironman regalia, the miniaturized arc reactor in his chest glowing neon blue in the dark. The same cyan light blared from the eyes of his gold plated helmet and the palms of his hands. The super hero lay on his back gazing upward into the stars above his head. Glass beer bottles littered the ground; obviously, it wasn't the first time he had used this place as a getaway. I took a moment to marvel at the incredible engineering feat that was the Ironman suit. Gears twitched, pistons pumped, cogs turned, and metal plates ruffled as I watched in fascinated awe.

"Here to drink away your troubles away too, Raven?" I jumped at the sound of Tony's voice. He held up a bottle, liquid sloshing about inside. For a moment I pondered the repercussions. _Ah, what the hell, _I thought seconds later, taking it from him and sitting down. I nearly sighed as the calming liquor dripped down my throat. It'd been a long while since I'd been majorly drunk, and it was about time to go back to that little habit of mine. Tony flipped the visor of his Ironman helmet up so that I could see his face. His eyes were red rimmed. He was either very high, or had been crying. I would have guessed that he was on something, but the smell that accompanied drug usage was absent. I wasn't used to him crying; the last time I had seen him cry was when I had left so many years ago. I finished the alcohol with surprising speed, mildly unhappy that there wasn't any more to be had. Tony seemed to recognize my sadness, as he reached behind a ventilation shaft and pulled a full six-pack of beers.

"I suppose I am," I answered, selecting the can in the far right corner and popping the tab. Tony simply stared upward. "Penny for your thoughts," I said after several minutes of silence. Tony didn't say anything at first. He shifted slightly, glass bottles clinking against each other on the ground beneath him.

"Pepper," he managed to mutter. When he didn't elaborate, I pressed for more details. He shook his head. After several more minutes of probing, he began to speak again, words slurred with alcohol. "She… I… I made a mistake…"

"Tony Stark admitting he's not perfect," I scoffed. He gave me a withering look and I hid behind my beer can sarcastically.

"She's pregnant, Raven."

Liquid exploded from my mouth and nose, burning my sinuses. I choked in unregulated shock, hastily attempting to wipe the amber liquid from my face. My body was racked with coarse, guttural coughs as I strained to catch my breath, pained tears brimming in my eyes. Pepper? Pregnant? The thought was unprecedented. She had always been cautious with sex, all about business, business, and more business. Raising a child would interfere with her career. How had she been so careless that this had happened? Regaining my composure as best I could, I looked at Tony.

"Was this planned?" I demanded.

He shook his head.

"No. It just… It was my birthday and she said that just this once we could go without –"

"I get it!" I interrupted, not especially interested in the details of Tony's birthday gift, having been on the giving end of two birthday presents of his. I took a long draw from my beer can as I struggled to process the news. I shook my head, staggering to my feet. Heroes like Tony never had children; it was risky to even be romantically involved when enemies were so easily made. They were vulnerable weaknesses that could turn even the coldest assassin to putty in capable hands. One of Loki's main themes. I flinched visibly at the thought, trying to shake him from my mind; this wasn't about me. I looked down at Tony, who hadn't moved an inch. I sighed and sat back down beside him, cradling his head in my lap; this move prompted more silent tears that I wasn't sure he was aware of.

"How can I be a father?" he demanded of the stars, slamming his titanium-clad fist down on the roof. "I don't know the first thing about children. I can't even change a diaper! I don't even know what babies eat. Can I feed it alcohol?"

"Tony, you're being hysterical…" I muttered as his voice rose several octaves.

"I've put Pepper in extreme danger. How can she be my wife and have a baby?"

"She's not your wife yet," I corrected.

"Same difference!" Tony bellowed, rolling so that his face pressed into my stomach. I groaned; there would be no reasoning with him when he was like this. The best thing to do was wait until he sobered up.

"Come on, Tony, let's go back inside…"

"I don't have time to have a baby… I don't want Pepper to get fat…" Tony muttered to himself as I helped him get to his feet. I wrapped his arm around my shoulder, groaning under his weight.

"Tony, come on!" I seethed as he kept up his meaningless, drunken babble. "Let's get you inside!"

Suddenly the door to the roof blew open and a frantic looking Pepper scrambled out. Tony immediately straightened up, eyes widening in alarm; Pepper's hair was frazzled, sweat dripped off of her fair skin, and her light blue eyes terrified. She was gasping for breath as she stumbled toward us, catching herself on Tony's chest.

"S.H.I.E.L.D!" she panted. "They're here for Raven! Somehow they found her here!" Pepper turned frightened eyes onto me now. "You have to go, Raven! Fly! They're going to catch you and arrest you!"

"Where are they now?" Tony demanded, face blazing.

"Downstairs in your workshop; I told them you two were down there."

The Ironman mask clamped down around Tony's face.

"Fly, Raven," he addressed me, voice altered to a deep, intimidating growl. "I'll distract them for as long as I can. Get out of here." With that, Tony jumped into the air and bolted down the stairs, flying only a few inches above the ground. He was out of sight in a matter of seconds. I looked at Pepper, who had tears in her eyes. There was much that I wanted to say to her, but there was no time.

So I settled for "Stay safe," a hug, and then I gathered my powers, lifting slowly off the ground. I made it merely thirty feet before a burning sensation erupted through my side and I fell back to the ceiling of Stark Tower, body screaming in pain. I felt something in my shoulder crack, and my vision was filled with black clouds. The last thing I saw before I slipped into unconsciousness was Pepper being dragged away by agents clad in black skintight suits with big guns.


	3. Hurt

**AN: Thank you to anyone who has read this far, I really appreciate it! If you'd leave a review I would appreciate you even more. =D! I'll give pies and cookies to anyone who leaves a review! ^.^ Thanks a bunch!**

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**Chapter 3 - Hurt**

"The Blue Sapphire. The Queen of Mischief. Master of the Elements. The Indigo Girl. _Raven Carter_. These are all names by which you've been identified over the past few years. Your record holds evidence of multiple crimes, including aiding and abetting a fugitive of the law, murder in the first degree, lying under oath, desertion, evasion of debt, breach of contract, and, my personal favorite, infidelity." A manila folder fell onto a cold steel table. One single light shone down upon me, brilliantly white and blinding, burning my cobalt blue eyes. Then again, every part of my body burned. It had been two and a half days since S.H.I.E.L.D. had captured me with a plasma blast, knocking me thirty feet out of the air and neutralizing my powers. I had woken up in a small prison cell that radiated gamma rays; harmless to my alien cells but strong enough to deactivate my ability to control the elements. My entire right half was scorched, burned away by the plasma blast. I could barely talk, and couldn't see out of my right eye. I'd broken my left shoulder, too, after falling thirty feet and landing on it. For those two days I could barely move, but by the third I could speak, see, and walk again, although I had a strong limp. My compliments went out to the excellent doctors S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed. As soon as I stopped screaming at every touch, several agents, all with ray guns trained at my chest, had brought me to this little inquisition room with that damned fluorescent light where Nick Fury was waiting. I knew him from dealings in the past. Tony was also there, a long, jagged scar running the length of his face. He sat across the table from me, eyes cast downward. After being informed that my powers would not work in here, Fury had begun listing my various pseudonyms and my record. I refused to move, or appear phased by his speech. He was right of course; I was an inter-world criminal. My head was wanted in two different galaxies for a tad more than a shiny penny. I sat as still as possible, anxiously chewing the skin from my thumb as I waited for Fury to continue. If he knew the full extent of my criminal record, he might have garnered more security. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he questioned, leaning towards me, dark hands splayed out on the table before him. I gave a nearly indistinguishable shake of my head.

"No, sir," I stated quietly. He sighed in what I assumed was sarcasm and pushed away from the table, walking to an armored policeman stationed inside our little room. From this man he retrieved two Styrofoam cups filled with water, thanked him, and returned to my side. I looked up as he drank one of them in a single gulp, then the other. I swallowed, watching a sole droplet run down his chin. Somewhere deep down I knew he was intentionally using psychology to get me to crack, and my demands as a living thing were far outweighing my desire to keep my identity and history a secret at this point. Fury dropped the cup from his mouth, lips still moist with the cool, clear liquid. He stared at me a moment more with his one large dark eye, then walked away from me to the head of the table. I returned to eating my thumb.

"An incident recently occurred in South America that I am sincerely interested in," Fury stated, wrapping his long fingers around the back of a chair. I felt my throat catch. "Numerous witnesses place you at the scene, along with substantial satellite and radio readings. About two months ago, you were taking shelter in the Amazon rainforest somewhere in Brazil with another betrayed refugee. Does the name Bruce Banner mean anything to you?"

I felt my cheeks flush slightly, and was glad Fury had his back turned.

"I don't know anything about Bruce Banner," I stated coldly.

"Hmm, alright," Fury said amiably, turning to face me, eyebrows slanted into a frown. "I'm sure that you'll stand by that statement when you hear this." Fury nodded to one of his guards, who turned and flipped a switch.

_"You're coming back with me!" cried a harsh male voice._

_ "Never!" replied a terrified female. "I will never go back!" A scream echoed from the speakers, followed by a loud crash._

"_Raven? What's going on here?" asked a quiet, gentle male voice._

"_Bruce, get away! They're not here for you!"_

"_Raven, what – ARGH!" The sound of something very hard colliding with flesh accompanied with a thunderous boom echoed out through the room._

"_Oh, my GOD! What IS that?" A deafening roar emanated from the amplifier. Many people began to scream. _

The transmission shut off as Nick Fury flipped the switch back up, single eye gazing coldly in my direction. A tear dripped down my cheek, My hands shook. I felt Fury walking toward me, felt his hot breath on my face, felt him leaning close.

"Now," he said icily. "Are you ready to talk? Or should I continue to play the tape?" My head snapped up into his face, eyes brimming. He tilted his head ever so slightly. I turned my attention to Tony, who was watching me with rapt attention.

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Raven Carter?" Fury suggested. I shook my head.

"I can't," I whispered quietly, and then shrieked as Fury dug his hand into my scalded right ribcage.

"Oh, I think you can," he stated matter-of-factly, twisting his fingers into the soft, hypersensitive skin of my injury. I screamed, back arching away from the pain, desperate to get away. But I couldn't; my ankles and hips were chained to my chair. "We're very curious about you, Miss Carter. Or should I call you Mrs. Laufeyson."

"Get away!" I screamed in pain and in anger, trying desperately to attack Fury; it did no good.

"Sir, with all due respect – "

"Shut up, Stark, you're not out of trouble yet either!" Fury bellowed over my anguished cries. "Oh, is that a rib I feel in there, you petty, trivial gemstone?" Fury's fingers dug deeper under my skin, my cobalt blue blood pouring out over his wrist. I could feel my power draining as he hurt me; it was the contents of my blood that gave me strength. I collapsed forward onto the table, fingers clawing at the steel with the same motions which Fury peeled the newly developed flesh from my side with. "Are you ready to talk now, Carter? Huh? Are you?" He ripped away from me, hand soaked in blood and bits of my muscle. I remained where I was, collapsed forward on the table, gasping for breath. Tony lunged forward, reaching for my shoulder.

"Don't touch her!" snarled Fury, drawing a revolver from his belt.

"Oh, so I guess you're just going to let her bleed to death. Because that's how S.H.I.E.L.D. does things, right?" Tony shouted, jumping to his feet. My blood sparkled on the floor, flecks of sapphire growing dimmer by the second. I squeezed my eyes closed, stomach rolling.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is the only reason you are not in jail, Mr. Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D. puts criminals behind bars. If you have a problem with us and how we operate, then you might be joining _her_ in prison."

"Let me tell you what I have a problem with," Tony seethed. The sound of a scuffled ensued, and when I opened my eyes the three security guards were unconscious on the ground and Tony was face to face with Fury, eyes blazing. "I have a problem with how you treat every single one of us as an expendable soldier in your little chess game. I have a problem with your absolute disregard for human pain and suffering. I have a problem with every aspect of this damn organization. I have a problem with how you plan to use the Tesseract – "

Fury's hand reached out and slapped Tony's face. My friend fell backward, landing on his ass next to my chair. Shock and anger radiated from his eyes as Fury seized his collar and knelt over him, his head mere inches from Tony's.

"I assume that all this means you're going to deny S.H.I.E.L.D. the right to protect your new family," Fury growled, locking eyes with Tony. Tony's labored breathing was the only sound to be heard. Panic rose in my chest.

"Wait!" I screamed. Both men turned to look at me. "I'll tell you everything!" I choked out. "Just don't hurt Tony!" Fury regarded me with great suspicion, looking back and forth between the black haired scientist he held pinned to the ground and me, obviously debating whether it was a trap or not. "Or Pepper," I added frantically. "Don't do anything to Pepper! Please!" Fury stared at me for several seconds, and then finally released Tony. He sank to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Okay," Fury said amiably, turning his back to us as he returned to the head of the table. "Have it your way, Miss Carter." He sat down, placing his elbows on the table and touching his fingertips together. "We'll guarantee the protection of Pepper Pots, if you tell us what we need to know." I raised my head from the table slightly, blood still dripping from my side. Tony staggered to his feet into a chair adjacent to me, keeping his eyes low and head down. "Why don't you start at the beginning," Fury suggested, tilting his head to the left. "_All _the way at the beginning."


	4. Hello Hello

**AN: Thank you to anyone who is reading this story up to this point! PLEASE NOTE: If you read chapter 2 before Monday, July 9th, I had to make adjustments in order for the rest of the story to work. **

**If you'll leave a review it would be most appreciated! Thank you so much if you've read this far!**

**As always, HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 4 - Hello Hello

_I was born on the planet of Gias in the Naevah galaxy. Our world was a peaceful one where there was never conflict. Gias is infinitesimally small, so tiny that you can walk the circumference in only thirty days. There, the streams are alive, fire dances, the wind sings, and the very earth welcomes the sunrise. We are governed by the rules of nature, revering it above all other material objects. We do not believe these things have 'spirits' or 'character,' but that they ought to be respected. For legend tells of how, when invaders far more advanced than we flew in from space and attempted to take our planet for their own, the oceans rose up, the flames flared, wind tore through their starships, and mountains erupted from the earth to hide our nation. From that time on, Gias' people have been blessed with the gift to control these elements in order to live prosperously and harmoniously. We are born with miniscule sapphires in our blood stream. These gems are somehow infused with the power and essence of the natural world, and allow us to dictate the elements. When we use our gifts, the sapphires circulate to the surface of our bodies, turning our otherwise fair skin a cobalt blue. That is how I garnered my name, the Blue Sapphire. _

_From birth, I was designated an anomaly. My parents both specialized in Air-Bending, but in a rare irregularity I developed considerable skills in all four elements. I could throw fire, raise earth, bend air, and wield water. The council, the leaders of Gias, usually treated such abnormalities as a threat to the balance of Gias and had children like me destroyed. But my parents pleaded on my behalf before the council, and they spared my life. However, this would come to be a mistake._

_My power grew daily. I exercised my strengths in all of the elements, growing stronger each day. The council began to fear me. My talents in each of the elements began to rival those who had specialized in only one. I learned how to wield fire as a weapon, and the others were soon to follow my lead. By then I was the rebellious age of ten, desperate for something more. Philosophy never appealed to me, and science was a mere tool I used to further my knowledge of my gifts. When the council banished me for weapons experimentation and disruption of the peace, I left willingly, not knowing that I was stepping into a life of restless travel, crime, pain, and displeasure with very few rewards. I didn't realize that I had set in motion the first militaristic rebellion Gias had seen in three centuries. Later in life I learned that the four territories of Gias fell into war, water against fire, wind against the earth. All were mobilized by one person's desire to experiment: me. The peace of Gias eroded and the territories developed into their own countries. The council fell, and Gias now rests on the brink of a second international war. All because of my actions._

_I never expected life outside of Gias to be so utterly different. Out there violence was the norm and it was rarely quiet. But I was young and naïve, and these things I still had to learn. For months I floated through space in a small pod, nearly going insane as my food supply dwindled and loneliness and fear began to overwhelm me. For a Gian whom does the earth not surround cannot exist contentedly. Finally I landed. I landed in the Asgard._

_Later, the first glimpse the Asgardians had of me was described as a starved animal climbing out of a sewer. I was as thin as a rail, my long hair was tangled and ratty, and my arms were covered in tiny scratches from beating the small pod in my craziness. I collapsed, and woke up in the house of Odin, with a woman leaning over me and pressing a rag to my forehead…_

"**Odin, she is stirring!" **

**I awoke slowly, drenched in warm gold light. Objects above me were blurry and out of focus. I squinted, attempting to make things clear, but they moved, causing my throbbing head to pound even more. **_**Please, stop it**_**! I thought silently, straining to see where I was. I noticed that I felt clean; my hair had been washed and lay in straight, smooth curtains over my shoulders, the tangles removed. I had been dressed in a light, airy fabric that felt free and cool. The scratches on my hands had all but vanished. All of my ills had been cured – that is, except for my rumbling stomach. Two figures now loomed above me. One was obviously male; his beard tickled my chin as he looked down upon me, and the other was a female. Both of their faces were kind and open, but masked a hidden hardness, a fierce determination I did not want to be on the bad side of. The woman's rich golden hair fell in lustrous gold curls around her face, and the man's graying brown hair was frizzy and seemingly unkempt. It suddenly registered that they were speaking.**

"**Hello, little one. You have had a long journey," the man said gently. "Can you sit up?" I found that I could. "I am Odin, son of Bor, and king of Asgard, the realm in which you presently find yourself. Jord, bring our young guest something eat." The woman rose from her place beside my bed and left the room, walking with the grace of a swan paddling across a glassy lake. I turned my attention to Odin. I noticed his eye patch suddenly, and a gasp escaped my throat. A small smile crossed his face in recognition. "You are from Gias. I would not expect you to be accustomed to injury." He touched his cheek thoughtfully, as if forgetting I was there, if only for a moment. His concentration then returned to me. "Jord, my wife, is fetching you food and drink. In the meantime, why don't you tell me your story? How did you come to Asgard, and why?" The woman called Jord reentered my chamber as I was explaining how I had come to employ the elements as weapons, using them for far greater things than mediation and thought. Odin was intensely intrigued. "Fascinating!" he exclaimed, leaning forward with his elbows on his enormous knees. "Show me!" I searched his face for any sign of condemnation or disapproval. But, finding none, I obliged. Drawing on the sapphires, I felt heat creeping into my fingers and I stood, pulling the fire from a nearby torch to me. I condensed it into a ball between my two hands and slowly shaped it into the head of a dragon, smoke rising from its nostrils. Odin's face broke into a wide grin. I then changed the dragon into several fiery swallows, and, with a flick of my index finger, sent them flying back into the torch. I released the fire, my arms covered in a glistening array of blue sapphires. Odin laughed boisterously, grinning ear to ear. "Magnificent!" his voice boomed. "Absolutely marvelous! Come; eat," he gestured to the gold tray waiting patiently upon my bed as he rose to his feet. "I have business to attend to. But you may rest assured I will return to discuss matters with you later. Fare thee well until I return." By now Odin was standing in the doorway. That was the first time I saw Loki. Somehow I had missed him, although looking back I was certain he had been there the whole time. He was peering out from behind Odin's robes, hazel eyes shy and scared, his short black hair tousled in every direction. He clung to his father's skirts as if they would conceal him as he peered at me. I made eye contact and he instantly ducked behind Odin as if that would make the incident go away; moments later, curious eyeballs reappeared. **

**Odin returned the next night and informed me that he and Jord had agreed that the best line of action was to take me in as their own child, as long as I swore an oath of allegiance to Asgard and the king. I had nowhere else to go, so of course I accepted. It was then I met Thor.**

"**I'm gonna have a sister!" Flyaway blonde hair flopping, Thor raced into my bedroom, tripping over untied shoelaces. Ignoring his father's annoyed warning, he dashed across my bedroom and jumped on my bed, crouching on my chest so that he could observe me with fascinated blue eyes. "I'm Thor Odinson!" he told me proudly. "I'm the oldest. You're Loki's age. Ten. I'm twelve!" Thor puffed out his chest. "I'm gonna have a big hammer some day, and all of the Asgard will be my kingdom!"**

"**Thor, where is your decorum?" Jord shrieked, entering the room. Panic crept into the blonde boy's face. **

"**Sorry, mum!" he muttered, jumping off of me, wielding a wooden dagger. "Is Loki still hiding?" he asked Jord questioningly. She frowned.**

"**Thor, I know you're excited, but you must remember, this girl is a lady. She is more fragile than you or your brother." **

"**Aha!" Thor interrupted, dashing out of the room. He reentered with the same black haired boy I had seen yesterday in tow. "Here he is! This is Loki. He's really shy. He's my little brother."**

"**Thor!" Jord cautioned, obviously irritated. "Leave your brother alone. He is allowed to do whatever he likes!"**

**I observed the small one called Loki. He was nothing like his brother. Where Thor's eyes were bright and excited, Loki's were dark and edgy. Thor's hair flew around his eyes; Loki's was clipped short and neat. Where Thor, even at age twelve, rippled with muscle, Loki was thin and lean. He regarded me with those bottomless dark eyes, a blush rising in his cheeks. He dashed to his mother and buried himself in the folds of her dress.**

"**Oh, Loki!" Thor laughed, rolling his eyes. He came to my side. "Wanna see the kingdom?" My spirit for adventure overwhelmed me.**

"**Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping out of bed and sliding on a new pair of cloud-like shoes. **

"**Don't go too far!" Jord warned and Thor seized my hand and we dashed out of Odin's castle, feet pattering on the rosy red stone of Asgard. We had barely made it one hundred yards when we were stopped by a frantic cry of "WAIT!" Thor and I both turned to find Loki chasing us down, panting as he sprinted to catch up.**

"**I knew you'd come, brother! Who wants to hang around with those cranky old people?" Thor questioned, ruffling Loki's short, spiky hair.**

"**Stop it!" Loki cried and Thor laughed, swooping his brother into what I assumed was a bone-crushing hug. His blue eyes turned to me. **

"**You, too, little sister!" Thor cried. I barely had time to think before I too was encircled in Thor's arms, ears ringing with the sound of his laughter. **

**We raced to the top of Odin's castle. As feeble as I was currently, I refused to let my new friends know. Thor of course beat Loki and I to the pinnacle of the castle and stood there, gasping for breath but still bearing that excited grin. Here, grass and trees grew, and by now the sun was setting over the horizon. Thor seized my hand, leading me to the edge, and I grabbed Loki's arm to pull him along with us. I expected harsh backlash as he had given Thor, but none came.**

"**This is me and Loki's garden," Thor told me, blue eyes glowing. "Our dad made it for us. It can be your garden, now, too."**

**The sunset from the highest point in Asgard was breathtaking. I had never seen such beauty, even on my home planet where such things were revered. Later that night when the stars appeared, Loki, Thor, and I lay in a triangle gazing upward, Thor telling us legends and pointing out the various constellations. Just as our eyes began to feel drowsy, we heard Odin's voice calling to us from far below. It was time to go in. **

"**We'll come up here more," he promised me, sitting up and shaking bits of grass from his blonde hair. That silly grin never left his face. Loki and I both sat up as well. "We're all going to be best friends!" Thor exclaimed, yanking Loki and I to our feet. "I know it. For as long as we live, we're going to be best friends!"**

"**Thor! Loki! Come on, you silly kids!" Odin cried again.**

"**Coming father!" Thor bellowed back, dashing down the stairs with seemingly boundless energy. I turned to Loki. **

"**We should probably go down, too," I offered. Loki simply stared at me, eyebrows slightly furrowed.**

"**Pick a shape." I jumped. This was the first time he had spoken to me since I'd met him.**

"**Excuse me?"**

"**A shape. An animal. Anything you want," he persisted eagerly. **

"**Fine, a square!" **

**Loki's face twisted into an expression of extreme discontentment.**

"**Oh, please," he muttered. "You can do better than that." I felt my face redden. **

"**A dragon, then." **

**Loki smiled and looked upward at the stars, raising a hand. Slowly, he outlined the shape of a large winged beast with flames shooting from its mouth, each star he 'touched' glowing with much more brightness than the other stars around them. Loki's hand fell to his side. **

"**Pick something else!" he encouraged. For several minutes he drew me pictures in the night sky, lighting up one image after the other until the night was one glittering mirage of fantastical creatures spinning above Asgard, only for our eyes.**

"**Loki! Come down, son!"**

**The constellations vanished and Loki turned to face me.**

"**That was beautiful," I told him. A slight grin touched his otherwise placid face.**

"**What's your name?" he asked gently.**

"**Mer – " I stopped in the middle of the word, as if the name itself had choked me. My Gian name bestowed by the council had been Merida Carter. Merida was an ancient name, one that meant 'fated.' But I was no longer a member of Gias, or a pawn of the council. I was ready to let go of that past, that civilization, those people who hated me. A large black crow alighted down in one of the nearby trees, cawing loudly in our direction. Starlight glinted off of its feathers, tinting them with a bluish hue. No longer would I be Merida, the 'fated' one. "Raven," I said suddenly, looking straight in Loki's eyes. "My name is Raven Carter."**


	5. Renegade

**AN: Thank you to all of those who have either followed or favorited my story! I couldn't be happier! =D Please leave me some feedback, I'd love to know what you think thus far! Thanks in advance -**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 5 – Renegade

**Tony Stark's POV**

"Even at ten years old you were a bad guy," Fury interrupted as Raven took a break from storytelling as several S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors rushed into the room and began attending to her freshly wounded side. "Defying your elders, creating weapons, and plunging an otherwise peaceful planet into chaos. No wonder Loki and you hooked up." She lunged forward suddenly, the chains biting into her pale skin, ignoring the startled cries from the doctors. I tensed; her expression was wild verging on feral, that familiar blaze arising in her eyes I knew meant she was pissed off.

"I was a little girl!" she seethed. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"And you still don't," Fury interjected calmly, obviously unperturbed by her display of anger.

"Uh…" I stuttered, raising one finger. Raven's fingertips had gone blue – an indication she was drawing on the elements.

"I'd suggest that you stand down before you get hurt again, Miss Carter," Fury stated calmly. Raven's hands were glowing with power now. I knew what she was thinking; just outside of these walls she could use her gifts to draw the air from Fury's lungs, boil the water in his body, and let the earth swallow him up like the criminal that he was. He deserved it. After all he and S.H.I.E.L.D. had done to me, and Jane, and Raven, and Bruce… "Stand down, Miss Carter." She fell backwards with a defeated huff, the sapphires trickling away from her skin as quickly as they had congregated there. Her eyes blazed blue, but she challenged him no more.

"So what changed?" I asked quickly. "Somewhere between age ten and twenty-seven Loki went from your starlight Romeo to the murderous, jealous fiend he is today." She shot me a disgusted look but at the same time I knew she was thankful for the diversion. Fury remained motionless, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath and then went on.

**Raven Carter's POV**

**I grew up in the Asgard, learning the legends, training for battle, studying in classes, and attending grand parties with my adoptive family. Thor, Loki, and I grew to be inseparable. It was rare to find one of us without the other two. We made other friends too, the young goddess Sif and the Warriors Three who were all roughly our age. Together, the seven of us went on uncountable adventures together throughout our youth. But by far the best adventures were those reserved for only Thor, Loki, and I. We went to the ends of the Asgard and back, caused trouble, escaped life and death situations, drove Jord absolutely crazy, and ended each day on the roof of Odin's fortress staring at the stars. Although we had sworn to be siblings, as I neared the age of sixteen and Thor eighteen, hormones were overriding our juvenile pacts. For years Thor and I were romantically involved. At the time, I was too naïve to see how it affected Loki, but I later understood how my decision only enforced what had been drilled into his head since he could understand speech; Thor's desires always came above his. Thor always got what Thor wanted. Thor always got the girl. **

**As my eighteenth birthday swept into view, rumors of Thor planning to propose began to circulate through the Asgard. I loved Thor, but only as a brother. On Gias, relationships were never solidly affirmed through marriage. The idea terrified me; 'love' of the romantic sort was discouraged, even scorned, on my home planet. I panicked. I made plans to run away. But instead, my feet carried me to Loki.**

**I cried to him, I told him of my fears, of my reservations. He listened, cradling me in his lap. I had been drinking, which had become the norm for me as I deliberated about what to do about Thor. I would turn eighteen tomorrow. I blubbered out my concerns against Loki's chest, and heard myself say that I would never love Thor like I loved him. Drunk as I was, I remember kissing him and one thing leading to another…**

**I awoke when it was still dark the next morning. Loki had gone and Thor was seated on Loki's bed beside me, looking depressed. He told me that what I had done could mean both Loki and I could be expelled from the Asgard if anyone learned of it. He explained the implications as calmly as if he was discussing the weather. Only near the end of his speech did he look at me with mild sadness. However, he then told me that, though he loved me, he knew I wasn't the one he was to marry. He promised not to tell anyone of our mistake, kissed my forehead, and left. I found Loki in the garden, horrified at what he had done. Together we had broken the very strict rules of Asgard regarding sex; but at the same time, his love for me prohibited him from completely regretting the event. He had discussed everything with Thor as soon as it had happened, and we both knew there would be no repercussions. The only question was where to go from there.**

**Soon enough, we found our answer. Thor, always our best friend, denied any intention of marrying me and called off our relationship. Still my brother, we remained close, and the seven of us, including Sif and the Warriors Three, Loki, Thor and myself, continued to venture through Asgard together. After several months it became no secret Loki and I shared a connection stronger than friendship or a strong sense of brotherhood. At first, our friends were unsure what to make of it, but gradually the Asgardians came to accept us. As we entered our twenties, our little group began to branch off and go their separate ways. Thor, Loki, and I attempted to remain close and to not let our old habits die, but we began to miss the sunsets and our daily visits to the garden we'd once loved so much. Thor was often preoccupied late into the evenings with personal schooling from Odin himself (private training for kingship), leaving Loki and I to ourselves. We turned the garden into our citadel, and began developing new weapons; black magic. We journeyed through various realms together, experimenting and sinning in our young haste to try new magic. We were tyrants, we were devils, we were criminals. But never did Loki make a push for the throne of Asgard. He had me now, and for him, that was enough. And then, Loki began hinting toward marriage. Once again I panicked. And this time I had no one to go to. So, in the dead of the night, I left the Asgard. I silenced the Gate Keeper by drawing the air from his lungs, opened the bridge, not knowing where it would lead, and jumped into the bifrost. The bridge took me to Manhattan, where I enrolled in MIT. It was there I met Pepper and Tony. **

**I didn't see Loki for several years, but eventually he found me on earth, and I went back to him. I abandoned Pepper and Tony as Loki informed me of all that had occurred in the Asgard. After I disappeared, the Asgardians had been devastated, and for months had pursued me. Sif and Thor especially had searched long after Odin had given up. But no one had pursued me longer than Loki, and for that he resented his brother greatly. He also brought the news that Thor's coronation was fast approaching. He begged me to return home with him, and I accepted without much reluctance. We journeyed to Russia together, headed for a site where the bifrost bridge could easily reach us. I wish to this day that we had never gone to that horrible place. It was there we met Mikal – or, as he liked to call himself, Silvertongue.**

**Mikal was a Russian physicist who specialized in working with metals, developing harder, stronger, more flexible materials to work with. In an experiment gone wrong, his project exploded, nearly killing him. Fragments of the metals he'd been working with entered his bloodstream and attached to his cells. He found that he could now control the substance he had devoted his life to. All metals now answered to his whims. He could mold titanium like it was play-dough, send steel beams flying through the air like they were nothing, and bullets no longer phased him. Frightened by Mikal's incredible powers, the Russians banished him to Siberia. There he went insane, furious that his ideas were not accepted. It was here we found him. We took him back to the Asgard with us and hid him there, taking him on as an ally. My return to Asgard prompted feasting and celebration, making the gods and goddesses blind to all else that moved. While I kept everyone else entertained, Loki and Mikal laid the wiring down for Loki's newest scheme. Whenever I inquired about it, he merely smiled mischievously, kissed my forehead, and told me I was playing my part perfectly.**

**I mistrusted Mikal from the moment we met him, but Loki seemed almost enraptured, fascinated by Mikal's character, his fury, and his drive to conquer. To Loki, Mikal came to replace Thor as his brother. Mikal raised Loki on a golden pedestal, weaving lies and false promises quicker than the god of mischief could unravel them. Mikal gave Loki something to believe in, and I watched in dismay as he transformed my moderately jealous partner into a deceitful, violence-inclined villain. I followed Loki because I cared for him.**

**On the day of Thor's coronation, the Frost Giants entered the Asgard just as predicted, and, as we anticipated, Thor rallied our old group into a war party. He led us to battle in the Jotumheim. We would have been killed there had Loki and I not asked the Gate Keeper to alert Odin to our misadventure. He rescued us. I had been wounded in the fighting, and accompanied Fandral, Sif, Hogun and Volstagg to the infirmary. Loki joined us later, bringing us the news Thor had been banished from Asgard. My throat caught. I knew Loki desperately wanted the throne – now that Mikal had instilled such values in his head – but exiling Thor felt like someone had gone too far. **

"**What?" Sif demanded, leaping to her feet. Her eyes blazed with dark fire. "We must do something!"**

"**I love Thor as much as any of you!" Loki snarled. I kept my head and eyes low. "But he's reckless, he's arrogant! He's not fit to be king!" What had happened to him? I barely moved as he walked out of the room, flinching as he stopped before me, hands trailing along my jaw before he left the room. My friends began to discuss his actions, his recent behavior, and gradually turned to me for answers. I had none that I was willing to give.**

**That night I visited Loki in his room. I had been drinking. He lay on his back on his bed, eyes distant and faraway, and for a moment when I kissed him it felt like the way things used to be. The way things were before Mikal. We had not had sex since that night so many years ago when I had come to him in my dilemma over Thor, but my passion still existed. However, when I came on to him he pushed me away. He cited Asgard regulations against intercourse before marriage, but he had broken so many rules I sincerely doubted that was it. So I left him alone, stumbling away drunk and frustrated. It was then I ran into Mikal. He was exceedingly handsome. His gold curly hair was neat and soft, his blue eyes were cold but enticing, and, as his 'villain name' suggested, he could weave lies like nobody's business. I slept with him that night, betraying Loki. I would be a liar if I said that I didn't enjoy the sex; it was fabulous, the kind that leaves your body wanting more. My anger at Loki fueling my actions, our association continued for several more nights – until he discovered us. **

**I thought his rage would never end. But strangely, his hatred only was directed at me. Mikal received none of his backlash. It was only me. It was completely my fault in Loki's eyes. He was beyond reason. I was lower than dirt. Loki, now as the king of Asgard, imprisoned me after throwing me around like a ragdoll for what I had done. He left me alone in my cell, bleeding and broken on the inside and out. **

**Fortunately, my friends had not forgotten me. They realized that Loki had gone insane. Sif and Fandral broke me from my prison cell and took me to earth with them. On the way I told them all they needed to know, everything from Mikal to the Jotumheim. Once we reached earth we went in search of Thor. He was in the company of three mortals, and I watched quietly as he greeted Sif and the warriors with great enthusiasm. Then he turned to me. I led him outside to talk privately, dispelling Loki's lies and revealing his plans. I told him I was planning to leave, to hide in the jungles of South America where Loki wouldn't be able to find me. Thor begged me to stay, but we were interrupted by the Destroyer, Odin's indestructible fire-spitting weapon. Loki had loosed it against this town of innocent earthlings in his anger against us.**

**The Warriors and Sif fought gallantly, but even they were not enough to defeat the Destroyer. Thor sent them off to protect the three humans whom he had befriended and approached the Destroyer himself. **

"**Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, I am truly sorry…" he began to say. **

"**No…" I whispered. Thor thought he was speaking to his brother Loki. But I knew better. He was speaking to Mikal, who in turn was acting through Loki. "Thor!" I screamed, watching in horror as the Destroyer raised its enormous fist. At the last moment, I dove in front of it, the hard hot metal colliding with my already fragile body. I slammed into a nearby truck, blue blood pouring from my stomach and chest. I heard Thor screaming my name, felt the ground shake as the Destroyer approached. I slowly staggered to my hands and knees, looking up at the Destroyer. It gazed back with its unfeeling, soulless eyes. I rocked back onto my knees only, kneeling before the mighty weapon. A smile lit up my face as the Destroyer's insides began to glow with the beginnings of flames. I felt the heat hit me, overwhelm my body, flames shooting down my throat. I rose slowly off the ground, consumed by the flames, and disappeared. **


	6. It Just Won't Quit

**AN: Hey guys, thanks for reading! ^.^ Hope you're enjoying! PLEASE leave me a review!**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 6 - It Just Won't Quit

**RAVEN Carter's POV**

"How did you not burn up when the Destroyer tried to incinerate you?" Nick Fury asked, rubbing his chin.

"Simple," I scoffed, ignoring the tight sensation in my throat. _Don't you dare cry in front of this man, Raven! _I thought. "Fire is one of my elements. I could stand in a vat of flames and not be harmed."

"And how did you just 'disappear,' as you say?"

"It's a trick Loki and I developed. All I need is fire for it to work. If my body gets hot enough, I can transform it into water vapor. It's a very dangerous thing to do, because you never know if all of my molecules will end up in the same place when I try to convert back to a solid state."

"Fascinating!" Tony exclaimed aloud. Fury and I both cast him a curious glance. He waved us off, setting his brilliant mind to ponder my latest mystery. I turned back to Fury.

"So where did you go?" he demanded, leaning back in his chair. Despite his cold outer demeanor, I could tell he was thoroughly enjoying my story.

**I materialized just outside the borders of the town, unable to maintain my vaporized state for long considering my injuries had significantly depleted my sapphire count. And to make matters worse, the desert winds had blown a chunk of my arm muscle away, leaving me bleeding with no medical supplies available. The town was only three hundred yards away, and I could see the hospital. But I knew I couldn't stay. Even if Thor reached Loki in time to stop him from destroying the Jotumheim, Mikal would still come after me. So I ran. I ran straight into the desert heading south.**

**I ran for weeks, the weeks elapsing into months. I slept for only hours at a time, too terrified to stop moving. I was transparently exposed here in the desert, a woman dressed in an azure skintight suit stranded in the middle of nowhere. I drew what little water I could from the air, drinking what condensed on my face, hands, and inside my mouth. I caught small animals for food and somehow made it across Mexico and entered the South American jungles. Once I made it to this point, my travels became easier. Incessant heat no longer bore down on me day and night, and water and food were abundant. I could also rest longer knowing the towering trees provided some coverage. But still I pressed on.**

**After several months of meandering in the jungles I awoke covered in small red bites. Mosquitoes. Disease overcame me, and I wandered the rainforest in a mad daze, starving and insane. The sapphires in my blood, parched of nourishment, began to cause hallucinations and delusions. I don't know how long I wandered in that damned jungle until I stumbled upon the encampment of Dr. Bruce Banner. I awoke in a small wooden cabin, the soup my rescuer was brewing being the first thing I noticed. Dr. Banner welcomed me to his home, fed me, and never asked for any details of my life until that point or how I had come to his home, for which I was thankful. I was utterly shattered in every way possible, and Banner recognized this. He'd been right where I was many times before – forgotten, hated, and hunted. He restored my health as best he could, which took several weeks. He offered to let me stay with him; we'd grown attached during my recovery period, not to mention I had become useful to his medical practice. He was acutely impressed with my powers, and my ability to conjure water out of the air was especially useful to him and his patients. As months passed without evidence of Loki following me, I settled contentedly into my niche with Bruce. But then, just as I thought something good had finally happened, **_**he**_** came.**

**Mikal showed up with a group of mercenary Chitauri soldiers while I was alone in the trees gathering a certain flower for Bruce. He told me that I was missed, that Loki and he desired I return to them, that **_**this time**_** their plans would succeed. I refused. He attacked; I fought back. But I was no match for eight Chitauri soldiers **_**and **_**Mikal. They pushed me back into the outer borders of Bruce's camp. **

"_**You're coming back with me!" Mikal bellowed, throwing an enormous chunk of metal into my head. I fell and he pinned me to the ground with a steel beam he'd discovered in a nearby lake. **_

"_**Never!" I spat back, struggling to keep the fear out of my voice. "I will never go back!"**_

"_**Raven? What's going on here?" asked a quiet, gentle voice. I looked over my shoulder to see Bruce exiting his house, confusion contorting his kind features. **_

"_**Bruce!" I shrieked as Mikal's attention turned to the next adversary to defeat. At the time, I knew nothing of what Bruce was capable of. "Bruce, get away! They're not here for you! They'll hurt -" my comment was interrupted as the steel beam on my chest flew straight into Bruce's stomach. Blood exploded from the small man as he was thrown backward through the wood of his cabin. Splinters flew everywhere. For a few moments there was silence, and then Mikal jumped onto my body, his face mere inches from my own. He opened his mouth to speak, cold, metallic breath washing over my face, but no words were heard, for a thunderous roar drowned them out. For the first time since I'd met him Mikal appeared unsure. He looked up and went as pale as a sheet.**_

"_**Oh, my GOD!" he screamed, toppling backward from me. "What IS that?" I looked over my shoulder to see a giant green monster ripping the small wooden house to shreds. Mikal's steel beam collided with its head. The monster stopped what he was doing momentarily, turning slowly in Mikal's direction. Terrified patients screamed in horror at the sight of the huge being, but as far as I could tell no one was hurt. It roared again, shaking the surrounding trees and charged, careening straight into Mikal. It disappeared into the forest, the only sign of it being its deafening roars. The Chitauri raced after their captured leader as I struggled to my feet and made my way to the patients. When I asked if the big green monster had hurt them or Dr. Banner, they informed me that 'it' actually was Dr. Banner. I was skeptical at first, but after several hours passed by and Bruce came out of the woods wearing only overly large purple pants, their suspicions were confirmed. That night we decided to part. It was too dangerous for me to put Banner in danger, and conversely he felt he endangered me with his 'condition.' **_

**So we parted ways. I went north on a wild hunch that Tony and Pepper still lived in NYC. I arrived here about five days ago, and you know the rest.**


	7. Forget You

**AN: Thanks very much to everyone who has read my story! I really appreciate the feedback! Keep reviewing please!**

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Chapter 7 - Forget You

**Tony Stark's POV**

The small room was silent as Raven concluded her story. She was crying gently now. The watery beads dripping down her face were vibrant and sparkly and left blue residue on her cheeks; when she cried, she lost sapphires, ergo losing power. It was a damn good thing those gemstones were regenerative, or else she wouldn't have any of her abilities left. I cast a questioning glance at Director Fury, but his mind was elsewhere. Under the table and out of sight I placed my hand on Raven's knee reassuringly.

"Do you have any idea where Dr. Banner went?" Fury demanded, at least pretending to be completely unmoved by Raven's story. She shook her head indicating no, but I could tell from years of never leaving her side she was lying. "Are you sure?" Fury persisted. He was going to believe it.

"She's lying," I interjected. "She knows exactly where Dr. Banner went." If looks could kill I would have been in the seventh circle of hell. I averted my eyes from Raven's face, ignoring the furious glare boring through my head, which clearly read, '_Whose side are you on, anyway?' _She didn't realize that I did it to protect her. And Pepper. I had a plan for Raven. But in order for her to realize it she needed to cooperate. I hoped that her trust in me would help her let go of her tough-girl/lone-wolf persona if only for a moment.

"Is this true?" Fury asked. Raven swallowed, shaking her short brown hair out of her face before nodding. He sat back in his chair, cold black eye trained intently on Raven. "Where did he go?"

She turned her injured, mournful eyes to me, begging for answers. I gave a barely imperceptible nod and she sighed deeply.

"India. Dr. Banner went to India." Fury immediately pulled out his phone.

"Hello? This is Director Fury. Get me Agent Romanoff on the line."

I couldn't be more excited to see the cyclops leave the room. As soon as the door slammed closed I pulled Raven into a tight hug as she sobbed. She was strong, dangerous, and powerful, but she'd gone through a lot in the past year. Emotions weren't really my strong point, though, so the whole ordeal felt pretty awkward. I was very thankful for the fact Raven could control herself far better than other females. Her sobs turned out to be merely attempts to catch her breath and no more tears fell. I shifted uncomfortably as she moved away from my shoulder, expression cold, hard, and sarcastic once more.

"What does Fury want with Dr. Banner?" she asked me, voice stiff. I ran a hand through my hair uneasily. I wasn't really supposed to know all of Fury's plans, least of all share them with an intergalactic criminal. Then again, Raven deserved to know, considering she'd just ratted the Hulk out, didn't she?

"Well, it looks like your boyfriend is up to his old mischievous tricks again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, forehead wrinkling in confusion. "And what does that have to do with Dr. Banner?" I adjusted myself on my seat, finding no comfortable position on these cold metal chairs.

"Have you heard of the Avengers Initiative?" Raven shook her head, opening her mouth to say something sarcastic. I cut her off. "Didn't think so. As Fury would say, 'the Avengers is an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people so that when we needed them they could fight the battles we never could.' Well, right now is pretty much the ideal time."

"Are you going to beat around the bush some more or are you presently going to come to the point?" Raven demanded. _That_ was the Raven Carter I knew.

"Right, of course. You want to hear about your ex-husband – "

"One more jealous remark about my relationship with Loki and I swear to Asgard I am going to boil your blood right out of your body!"

"I'm not jealous," I frowned. "How did you get 'jealous' for any of this?"

"Bullshit," Raven countered, eyes blazing. I shook my head.

"Anyway!" I interjected. Light smiles graced the corners of our mouths. We were used to battering each other around. "Loki found his way to earth a few days ago and destroyed a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where the Tesseract - you know what the Tesseract is, right? – was being researched. It seems that Loki used the energy in the cube to create a portal in order to enter our world."

"How many people did he kill?" Raven asked rigidly, appearing more than uncomfortable. Her eyes darted back and forth, nervous energy resonating throughout the room.

"A lot," I answered with equal seriousness, and my good friend leaned forward with a depressed sigh, putting her chin in her hands. "He also has somehow managed to take over people's consciousnesses. Including Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton and Dr. Erik Selvig –"

"Doctor Selvig?" Raven interrupted, sitting up, eyes wide. "He was one of the mortals who I met when I had the run in with the Destroyer. He's a brilliant astrophysicist."

"Right," I nodded in agreement. "And Hawkeye is one of the strongest men in the world. His name is very apt."

"Fantastic," Raven muttered. "Who is Natasha Romanoff? Another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"She's a spy. An assassin. Her record is almost as bloody as yours!"

"And you're all part of the 'Avengers?'"

"Yes," I said. "Well, we're all intended to be part of Nick Fury's dream team. But Dr. Banner is needed in order to help track down the Tesseract itself. It emits gamma radiation. And we both know that Dr. Banner is a specialist in gamma radiation. Of sorts."

"Of sorts," Raven agreed. "So where do I figure into this?"

"Well," I began. "You either go back to wasting away in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prison until you die, going insane underground with absolutely no stimulation whatsoever. Or you join the Avengers." Raven choked, raucous coughs erupting from her throat. I continued on. "You'd get a chance to fight your past. Put Loki in his place, as it were."

"Loki isn't the problem!" she insisted. "I would be willing to bet my life that behind Loki's actions Mikal is the battery, if you will."

"That being said, wouldn't it make even more sense for you to join our little war party," I argued. "Wasn't Mikal the one who destroyed your life?"

"Yes, that's true…" Raven was beginning to crack. "But Director Fury would never go for it. I get the feeling he doesn't really like me all too well –"

"How would you know until you ask?" Both Raven and I turned to find Nick Fury standing in the doorway, looking intrigued. "But you're right. I don't like you nor do I trust you. You're on trial, Raven Carter. This whole thing is an experiment. I usually don't like incorporating multiple variables into my experiments. But in this case, your insight and personal connection to both Loki and Mikal might be of some benefit. If you're willing to fight for us, I can offer you a clean slate. You'll start all over again, a new identity with a new record. And I can personally guarantee that after all this is over that neither Mikal nor Loki will ever trouble you again." There was silence as Raven contemplated this one option. It wouldn't be easy for her to go against her childhood best friend and one-time lover. I watched her expression turn from pensive to cold and resistant and I stood angrily. We'd lost this. She wouldn't fight Loki. I was so dead certain she'd decided against us that I nearly fell over when I heard Raven say,

"I accept."


	8. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Chapter 8 - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

**Bruce Banner's POV**

"Should have paid up front, Banner." Somehow, deep down I knew it was a trap. What child would actually come to me at that time of the night? Honestly.

"You know, for a man who is supposed to be avoiding stress you picked a hell of a place to settle."

A grin touched my lips. I knew that voice. I spun around.

"Raven Carter. I never expected to see you again."

I nearly fell over backwards as Miss Carter's small, lightweight body collided with mine in a bone-crushing hug.

"Nor I you," she said into my ear, breath tickling the back of my neck. I pulled away and held her at arms length, my elated mood quickly sinking to shock.

"You look like you were hit by a train!" I exclaimed, startled. She smiled sarcastically, laughing. Half of her neck was scalded and burned; it couldn't have been a fire accident, because I knew that would never harm her. It had to be a radiation weapon – the likes of which only S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed. She wore only her 'super suit.' It was a remarkable fabric; skintight, aerodynamic, and functional. It reminded me of a hero movie I had watched a long time ago called the Green Lantern. It appeared when she wished it to, varying from light periwinkle to azure blue in color depending upon how depleted her energy sources were. It stretched around her lean, taunt muscles and figure. I will admit that I had to stop myself from staring. Even as battered as she was, she was still a remarkably attractive young woman.

"Well, what can I say? You know me – I'm not exactly the most careful one out there."

I sighed, shaking my head. I was well aware that Miss Carter enjoyed living life on the edge as the saying goes, but I always worried about her.

"Avoiding stress isn't the problem," I changed the subject with about as much subtleness as a rampaging elephant, releasing Carter's arms.

"Right," she agreed, a smile flickering at the corners of her lips. "It's yoga!"

"Can we please cut out these time consuming pleasantries and get down to business?" interrupted a cold female voice. I turned around, any warm feelings in my chest quickly dissipating. I glanced between Miss Carter and the new woman who had entered the little shack, mistrust glittering in my eyes.

"So you're a spy now?" I muttered to Miss Carter, seizing her forearm nervously. She shifted uncomfortably, providing no comment.

"More like indentured servant," she responded. I nodded as the slim redhead woman approached us, expression unwavering. I turned my attention to her gloomily.

"You brought me to the edge of the city. Smart. I assume the whole place is surrounded?"

"Nope. Just you, Raven, and myself." The fact that Miss Carter stiffened and grimaced made me feel differently.

"And your little actress buddy. Is she a spy, too? Do they start that young?"

"I did," the redhead stated blankly. I shook my head in disdain. "I am Natasha Romanoff."

"Are you two here to kill me?" I asked sarcastically, although, in all seriousness, someone working with Miss Carter would have a better chance in that endeavor. "Because I doubt that's gonna work out."

"No. I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," I grunted. "How did they find me?" Miss Romanoff tipped her head in the direction of Miss Carter. I looked down at her, hoping none of my disappointment registered in my facial expression. Her head was down. _Stay calm, Bruce. You don't know what they did to her._ Heat rose in my cheeks and my fist tightened around Miss Carter's forearm slightly as I returned my attention to Miss Romanoff. "Why?"

"We need you to come in."

"What if I said no?" I queried.

"I can persuade you," Miss Romanoff stated icily, hard eyes completely emotionless. I returned the glare with equal detachment.

"And what if the other guy says no?" I felt Miss Carter tense beside me. Miss Romanoff shifted. The first indication she was at least slightly nervous.

"Bruce," Miss Carter spoke now. I turned to face her. "We're facing a potential global crisis."

"I actively try to avoid those," I responded icily. Miss Carter grimaced.

"This is the Tesseract," Miss Romanoff interrupted, walking toward us and handing me a picture. "It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet."

"What does your director want me to do?" I asked snidely. "Swallow it?"

"He wants you find it. It admits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to track."

"There's no one who knows gamma rays like you," Miss Carter interjected. I looked back at her. Her emotions seemed genuine enough.

"So Fury isn't after the monster?" I questioned skeptically.

"Not that he's told me," Miss Romanoff responded. I snorted incredulously. "Talk to Fury," she insisted. "He needs you on this."

"He needs me in a cage!" I muttered through gritted teeth.

"Bruce, no one is going to put you in a cage…" Miss Carter said gently.

"_Stop lying to me!_" I bellowed, and with a flick of my wrist sent her staggering backwards. I could feel the power. It was within reach. My pulse soared and heat burned in my fingers and cheeks. Raven found her footing easily and the sapphire channels in her suit began to glow lightly. I heard a gun cock and turned to Romanoff. It was pointed directly at my chest. "I'm sorry," I stated snidely. "That was mean." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent didn't move. "Why don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that, and the other guy doesn't make a mess. Okay?" Romanoff remained motionless.

"Natasha, put the gun down." Raven was at my side now, regarding Romanoff with as much irritation as myself. I nodded. She turned her pistol from me to Raven, unsure of whom her enemy was here.

"Natasha…" I threatened, taking a step toward her. Slowly, tensely, she lowered her weapon. Both Raven and I let out an enormous sigh. Natasha raised a small walkie-talkie to her mouth.

"Stand down, we're good in here."

I regarded her with mild amusement as dozens of safeties clicked outside.

"You, Raven, and me, huh?"

**Raven Carter's POV**

I watched morosely as Bruce stepped onto one of the waiting choppers, conflicting feelings coursing through my bloodstream.

"Fury will hear of your actions today." I turned toward the cold, impassive voice of Agent Romanoff. She stared at me frostily.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked, fake concern blatantly obvious in my voice.

"You broke protocol," Romanoff replied. "Never jeopardize the safety of your partner because you've been emotionally compromised." I frowned.

"Hmm. Sounds like exactly what you learned in Mexico City, 1998."

For half a second Romanoff's wall crumbled and, unless I had been looking for it, I would have missed her eyes widen in shock. Yes, I knew about that, I wanted to scream. We were here for the same reason. We were both bad guys who wanted a clean slate. Then her façade returned.

"Just make sure it won't happen again when we meet Loki for the first time," she muttered. Ouch. I guess she knew my sensitive spot, too.

On the flight home I sat beside Bruce. We didn't speak. No one did. As the minutes turned into hours and even Agent Romanoff drifted off into sleep (or at least a sleep-like state), Bruce's head fell against my shoulder. His soft brown hair tickled my jaw, and hot, wet tears fell onto my shoulder. His tears were silent, but his body was racked with harsh, jerking sobs as we flew into what would surely mean his demise.


	9. Something

**AN: Thank you so much for reading this far if you have! =) Please leave me some feedback! The end of this chapter I hope induces some giggles! ;) Enjoy!**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 9 - Something

**Raven Carter's POV**

"**Try again! I'm sure you can do it, Raven!"**

"**Loki, it's difficult for me!" I cried, regarding the small campfire we'd built with something akin to fear. Never in my life had I been afraid of fire, but this magic was hard. The dangers were incredible. I could be sliced to pieces if a wayward wind decided to disrupt my molecules. "I'm scared…"**

"**You're never sacred, though, Raven!" Loki prompted as I wrapped my arms around my chest, anxiety quickening my pulse. "Raven, you're strong enough. I know you are! Nothing bad is going to happen to you." I looked up from the dancing flames to meet Loki's eyes. He was so beautiful to me. I could just as easily get lost in those big green eyes as I could if part of me evaporated before I had a chance to solidify. He leaned in and kissed me, more firmly than I was used to. A warm glow spread throughout my body, and Loki burst out laughing, pulling away. Those eyes sparkled adoringly. "You're all blue!" he giggled, which only made me blush more. **_**Damn you, sapphires!**_** I thought. Loki regarded me calmly for a moment and then stood up, offering his hands out to me. "Another time, Raven."**

"**Thank you," I replied, getting to me feet without his assistance. "I'm just worried about the implications. What if part of me blew away? Or my molecules got separated? Or –"**

"**Raven, don't worry about that now, my love," Loki interrupted, squeezing my shoulders earnestly. He kissed my forehead quickly. "I'll try to develop something to make our tests more secure. It can't be that difficult."**

"Raven, wake up. Let's go."

**I smiled and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. Young love had never felt so good.**

"Raven! Fury is ready to go!"

I woke up drenched in a cold sweat. The lights were on in my room and Tony was standing above me dressed in his Ironman suit. I looked around frantically. Loki wasn't there. It was just a dream.

"Tony, dammit, I just got back!" I groaned, pulling a pillow over my head, desperate to block out his incessant prodding. My clock backed up my statement. I'd only just returned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. center after retrieving Bruce. Tony's finger jammed into my ribs again and I rolled away, moaning.

"Get up, you lazy slob. If it's any incentive, Loki has been spotted in Germany, and we're on our way to apprehend him."

"Fine!" I groaned, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. Tony dashed out of my room, the smell of Red Bull following him. I was going to kill whoever had given him an energy drink this early in the morning. I ran a brush through my hair, splashed icy water onto my face and followed Tony to a small hanger bay. Nick Fury was there, along with Tony, Natasha, and someone I had never met but instantly recognized: Steve Rodgers. A.K.A. – Captain America. A sense of awkwardness swept over me as I approached this group of good guys. I nodded to Natasha who regarded me coolly, and Tony greeted me by shooting a bolt of energy from his palm in my direction, which I quickly contained by creating an air bubble around it and sending it zooming out of the hanger. "Are you an idiot or something?" I demanded.

"See? I told you, Cap. She's pretty cool." Tony nudged Steve Rodgers roughly. The captain grimaced.

"I still don't trust her," he stated. I grimaced.

"Nice to meet you, too," I muttered icily.

"You were sexually engaged with our enemy!" Rodgers protested, waving shield angrily. Tony burst in laughter.

"She also slept with me!" he exclaimed with a giggle. Rodger's eyes went wide. Tony continued laughing loudly as he proceeded onto the small transport craft. I followed him furiously, concentrating on keeping my emotions under control. It would probably not help my case to turn vibrantly blue before my new 'team.' Behind me I could hear Rodgers and Natasha talking.

"Is it normal to have numerous sexual partners nowadays?" Rodgers asked, appalled.

"Yes. It's the norm, actually," replied Natasha. "Sometimes people even sleep with multiple partners at the same time. That's called a threesome."

I groaned and moved to sit as far away from them as possible. That seat just so happened to be beside Tony. His eyes were glassy and his pupils were dilated. He smiled pleasantly into my murderous glare. I sat down beside him without saying a single word. As the Quinjet lifted off the ground he turned his head to look at me, that goofy smile still plastered to his face.

"Ever had a threesome in the Asgard?" he asked cheerfully. I scowled.

"Men can even have sex with other men legally now, too, Captain," I heard Natasha say.

"Oh you can ask Stark all about that, Mr. Captain!" I shouted across the aircraft, eyes boring straight into Tony. His smile vanished and it was his turn to scowl. He made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and looked away into the skeptical gaze of Natasha.

"I didn't… I don't…"

I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, my thoughts drifting away from my present company as Tony desperately attempted to redeem himself. If Loki was here on earth terrorizing the masses, where was Thor? And for that matter, where was Odin? Where was Jord? I could only hope that my questions would be answered in due time.


	10. In the Land of Pigs the Butcher is King

Chapter 10 – In the Land of the Pigs, the Butcher is King

**Loki's POV**

Look at them. Pathetic. Weak. Insignificant. Petty unbelievers. If I was not going to be king of Asgard, these measly specimens would have to do. For now, at least. With the power of the Tesseract as Mikal's battery, we would be able to overwhelm the Chitaurian leaders easily. He could do incredible things with his gifts. That was the problem with humanity. That was the problem with Asgardians. They despised those who were different. I was no exception. Mikal was no exception. We, the true geniuses of our realms, were scorned as villainous, cruel and radical. But how would they know? We were never given a chance to show what we could do for our people. Well, _now _they would see. And they would pay for it, of course. I had wanted to march straight into Asgard and take that glorious golden city before conquering this pitiful planet, but Mikal had convinced me otherwise. After all, his power could only take us so far, and this place was a stepping-stone to larger things. Just imagine what the Allfather will think when he sees I, Loki Laufeyson, the aberrant one, the unfavored one, has become a king. Finally he will recognize what I would have been capable of and he will make me king of Asgard as well. What a magnificent day that shall be. My 'brother' will be cast aside like the weak, dismal failure that he is, and I will assume my rightful place. And all this was made possible through Mikal's hand.

"Is it not simpler? Is this not your natural state?" I demanded, striding through the first crowd to fall before me. "It's the unspoken truth of humanity. You crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were _made _to be ruled! In the end, you will always kneel." I vanished and reappeared several meters away, pleasantly enjoying the horrified expressions of this lesser race. I performed my vanishing trick again. Excellent. Once more for effect –

I reappeared face to face with an old feeble human. He stared straight into my face.

"Not to men like you!" he argued. I flinched. I faltered. Was Mikal watching this? What would he do to this man? I glowered, my expression turning stern once more.

"There are no men like me," I seethed through my teeth, hissing like a snake. My hands trembled. What was that feeling in my chest?

"There are always men like you," the human responded firmly, straightening his back. Was that my heart beating? Did I have a heart? No, I did not. Rage. Hatred I did have. Anger I did have. That was what I felt burning inside me. I grinned savagely, raising my scepter.

"Look to your elder, people!" I snarled. "Let him be an example!"

"You know…" shouted a different voice. I whirled around, momentarily distracted. Ahh, Captain America. He was clad in his ridiculous red, white and blue uniform, shield glistening in the dark starlight. His face was masked by a silly helmet. My smile only grew. "The last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else we ended up disagreeing!" Mikal had told me about this man. He, like so many other great visionaries, had been scorned by the populous. He, Adolf Hitler, had been a leader in the truest sense of the word.

"The soldier," I cooed gently. "A man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time!" the captain cried. I merely laughed, raising the scepter and loosing a blast of energy straight into the 'hero's' chest. He tumbled backward, and I teleported to his side, pressing the blade of my staff against his throat. "Kneel," I demanded.

"Not today!" he sneered. His foot collided with the back of my knee and I fell, hitting the ground with a thud. I cloaked myself and rolled away. Captain America gained his feet, and I reappeared, shooting another blast into his chest. I cackled maliciously as he fall backward once more.

"Enough of this!" I heard a female voice say. I whirled around, eyes blazing. There was no one there. Somehow I knew that voice.

"You're out of your league!" I turned around once more at the sound of Ironman's voice. "You've always been out of your league, I think. What was that girl's name you tried to hook up with?"

"Raven!" I shouted, spinning around once again. That was the voice. A blast of energy hit me in the back and I tumbled forward, swallowing a substantial amount of dirt. No. That wasn't energy. It was fire.

I scrambled into a crouch just as a tidal wave of water knocked me flat once more. My scepter flew from my hands. I dove after it, but before I could reach it seemingly invisible forces lifted it away from me. I cursed loudly and whirled around, drenched from head to toe.

"RAVEN!" I screamed.

"Hello, Loki," came her quiet voice. I shook the water from my eyes and there she was.

"**Raven, you know I hate water!"**

"**That's why it's so funny!" she responded, laughing. I was ankle deep in glassy liquid and it was rising steadily. **

"**Raven, please!" I begged, struggling to burn through her little game with my eyes. She loved my eyes. She'd confessed so many times. **

"You need a haircut," Raven stated. She was glowing blue, sapphires glittering beneath her suit. I looked at her intensely.

"**Fine, I'll let you out," she agreed, pouting now. I gasped out a thank you as the water drained through the floor. She helped me out of the hole she'd imprisoned me in. "You ruined my experiment, you know that?"**

"**Actually I think it went quite well!" I cried. "You found out at what point a person submerged in water unable to escape becomes frightened!" **

"**Only because you're a baby."**

"**Am not!"**

"**You are to, Loki Odinson!" she chided, linking her arm through mine. "Your knees weren't even covered!"**

"You ruined my experiment!" I growled at Raven as Ironman landed beside her and Captain America dashed up. Where had that comment come from? Why did this all seem vaguely familiar? "Quite a formidable team," I snarled sarcastically.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games," Ironman commanded, raising his glowing palm. I regarded them coolly, smirking. I could hear water swirling behind me and the nearby fountain erupted violently. I raised my arms above my head.

"Good move," Ironman stated. Raven clutched my scepter in both hands. The soldier was eyeing me with repulsion.

"Mr. Stark," he commented. "Sapphire."

"Captain," they both replied instantly. I smiled pleasantly. How silly they were. How silly was this all?

"What an interesting twist on our story!" I hissed into Raven's ear as we made our way into the flying device Agent Romanoff was piloting, seizing her elbow with one hand.

"Please, cut out the dramatics," she shot back, rolling her eyes. She removed herself from my grasp easily and seemed to glide away.

"You're not strong enough for this!" I bellowed after her. "You'll be mine by the time your friends are dead! You yourself will slaughter your beloved Tony Stark!" My shouting had attracted the attention of the other heroes. Good. The more I could rip them apart the better. Raven turned to face me with a disenchanted expression on her face. "I will steal your heart again! Just as I have done to Barton and Selvig!" Her eyes widened. Fear. That was what I wanted to see. She handed my scepter to Romanoff and walked toward me so that we were face to face. _What was that smell? I knew that smell. _

"You're assuming two things," she responded unsteadily. _Like a mountain spring, only not so crisp. It smelled like a meadow. _"One, that I have a heart at all. And two, that if I did you'd be able to ensnare it." _She turned her back to me and I cried. Something cried. _Wait. What was I thinking? I shook my head with a laugh and proceeded onto their little jet. Everything was working out beautifully.


	11. Everything Louder Than Everything Else

**An: Once again, thanks for reading! Please review! =)**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 11 - Everything Louder Than Everything Else

**Raven Carter's POV**

Steal your heart. That's what Loki had said. He'd let that slip out. I knew what he had done to Barton and Selvig now. I had feigned fear when he had threatened me, but in truth he'd simply given me the key to understanding how Mikal could be defeated. They were using dark magic. Dark magic we had developed together. I knew how it worked. It would be simple enough to counteract. I smiled mischievously and looked into Loki's face. He was completely calm, only playing with his hands. The other Avengers were regarding him nervously.

Rain began to patter against the windows of the Quinjet. Something didn't feel quite right. I stood up and walked to the cockpit where Natasha was piloting.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked, squinting at the upcoming cloud cover.

"We're going back to base. But right now we're flying into an enormous storm that I've tried to maneuver out of multiple times. Can Loki control storms?" Natasha's voice had an edge to it. She was slightly perturbed by this strange astronomical event. "My instruments are going crazy!"

"Loki can't…" I responded pensively. "Maybe I can try to clear out some of the turbulence…" Natasha cast me a skeptical look but didn't protest. I raised my hands, drawing upon my power in an effort to part the violently tossing winds. But something tugged back. Every move I made to push the air aside felt as if something much bigger and much stronger was pushing back. "Argh!" I cried, tripping into the side of the cockpit, sapphires going pale.

"What is going on?" Natasha demanded as the Quinjet buckled beneath us.

"It felt like something grabbed my wrists and threw me aside! Like I shouldn't be doing this… My sapphires are numb!" I exclaimed, examining the arms of my suit. They barely sparkled and were a feeble shade of periwinkle. I felt weak. I felt sick.

"Where is this coming from!" Natasha bellowed as the Quinjet pitched through the air. I staggered back into the passenger area of the plane where Tony and Rodgers were engaged in a heated discussion about Nick Fury. Loki regarded me nervously as I reentered, cracking his knuckles. I collapsed into a seat beside Tony. Without charged sapphires, I felt like nothing more than a ragdoll. Loki eyed my with what for a moment looked like concern, and then turned his gaze to a window, green eyes wide.

"What's the matter?" Rodgers demanded of Loki. "Scared of a little lightening?" Loki regarded him fearfully.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows…" Loki muttered. My eyes widened.

"Thor!" I shouted, leaping to my feet, just as quickly to be knocked back down and sent crashing into a wall of the Quinjet. "Ow."

"What's going on back there?" Natasha shouted over the roaring wind. I crawled out from beneath a stack of fallen parachutes, head ringing.

"What hit me?" I croaked out, staggering to my feet. "It felt like a bus."

"Loki's brother," Rogers informed me. I rubbed my forehead, vaguely registering that Loki's brother was named Thor.

"Oh, fantastic," I stated. "Captain, I can see about eight of you!" I continued, stumbling around blankly.

"You probably have a concussion," Rogers informed me. I heard the clips of a parachute close. "You will stay here. I'm going to help Stark." For the first time it registered to me that Tony wasn't in the Quinjet with us. I must have looked ridiculous because when Rogers returned to focus he was regarding me with something close to doubt. I looked down at my arms. They were a deep navy blue and sapphires coursed rapidly through the channels in my suit. I looked up, grinning. Though Thor had given me a massive concussion, he'd also managed to recharge my powers to the max.

"You won't need that Cap, I can fly!"

"I'd sit this one out if I were you, Cap," came Natasha's voice.

"I don't see how I can!" Rogers protested, synching the straps tighter around his chest. "And I'll be in charge of my own flying, thanks." I frowned at him.

"In this wind? You'd die within five seconds of take off."

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods," Natasha warned. I nodded fervently to Rogers.

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that!" And with no further comment Rogers leapt from the plane.

"He really doesn't listen, does he?" I asked Natasha. She regarded me indifferently.

"He's a man," she stated. A smile flickered around the corners of her mouth. I grinned, pointing at her.

"I like you!" I exclaimed. I walked up to the ledge of the Quinjet and found Rogers struggling vainly in the vicious wind.

"Wait, you're going too?" Natasha shouted furiously. I turned to face her.

"Well, yeah. This whole thing is a family feud. Those are my brothers. I'll have it cleared up in a jiffy."

"Wait, you're not cleared to interact with –" I didn't hear the tail end of her comment, for I simply fell backward, eyes closed in excited anticipation and let the wind carry me to Mr. Rogers' assistance.

**Thor's POV**

"Where is the Tesseract!" I bellowed, landing far away from the humans on a small outcropping of stone. They were interfering with matters that were far beyond their reasoning. This was a matter for our world.

"I missed you, too!" my brother replied, smiling with sarcasm coloring his tone. He was a mess and in dire need of a haircut. I narrowed my eyes, throwing my weight toward him. He barely flinched.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" I demanded.

"Oh, you should thank me!" Loki stated absently. "With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here?" I frowned. "Your precious earth!"

I leaned forward and seized Loki's arms, jerking him close to me. He squirmed uncomfortably in my grasp, but I, always the stronger, held him tight.

"I thought you dead!" I confessed. Loki snorted.

"Did you mourn?" he scoffed, voice high and whiny.

"We all did!" I exclaimed. "When both you and Raven disappeared –"

"Raven! Ahh, now there we get to the truth of it!" Loki spat. "Raven was mourned. Raven, that murderous, lying –"

"Do not speak badly of my sister before me!" I snarled, shaking Loki slightly. "You were missed, Loki! Our father –"

"_Your _father!" Loki interrupted. "He did tell you my true parentage, did he not?" I sighed deeply.

"We were raised together. We played together. We fought together. Do you remember none of that?"

"I remember a shadow!" Loki seethed. "Living in the shade of your greatness. I remember you tossing me into an abyss. I who was and should be king!"

"Your memories serve you falsely, brother!" I shouted. "But regardless, you wish to take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights? No. The earth is under my protection, Loki." Loki laughed loudly.

"And you're doing a marvelous job of that. The humans slaughter each other in droves while you ideally threat." Loki ripped out of my grasp. "I mean to rule them," he stated. "That's why –"

"You think yourself above them," I interjected, clenching my fists. Loki shrugged with a grin.

"Well, yes!"

"Then you miss the truth of being a leader, brother," I told him sadly, shaking my head.

"I've seen worlds you've never known about. I have grown, Odin's son, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract! And when I wield it –"

"Who showed you this power?" I demanded. Something had sparked in my memory. My sister drenched in blood, hastily explaining all she knew about a villain she called Mikal, the Silvertongue. Loki's grin faltered slightly. I stepped toward him. "Who controls the would be king?"

"I am a king!" Loki shrieked, hands clenching into fists. I'd obviously hit a nerve.

"Not here! You give up the Tesseract!" I bellowed, pacing toward him. "You give up this poisonous dream! You come home!" Loki's smirk returned.

"I don't have it." Frustration overcame me and I raised Mjolnir threateningly. "You need the cube to bring me home, but I've sent it off. I know not where." I felt a deep guttural growl rising in my throat. I tightened my hand around Mjolnir and frowned deeply. I took a very deep breath and glared straight into my brother's smirking face.

"You listen here, brother –"

Something very hard collided into my side and I flew off the pinnacle of stone at a very fast pace, Loki quickly disappearing from view. I looked down at my attacker. It was the Man of Iron. Tony Stark, I believe. We hit the ground hard and rolled away from each other. I staggered to my feet to find my adversary flying toward me. I began to twirl Mjolnir around my wrist. This was going to be fun.


	12. Sabotage

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying this so far, because I certainly am having a good time writing it! Please drop a review before you go, I love them a lot!**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 12 - Sabotage

**Raven Carter's POV**

"Thanks, by the way…"

"No problem, Cap," I replied as I gently lowered the super soldier to the ground on a cushion of air. His parachute was nowhere to be found, ripped off by the swirling gale all around us. I alighted on the ground beside Rogers and handed his helmet back to him. He took it with another embarrassed thank you and strapped it on.

"I still don't trust you," he muttered uncomfortably, adjusting his shield. I rolled my eyes.

"Suit yourself. Come on, let's go apprehend some demigods!"

"There's only one God!" Rogers and I sprinted toward the sound of clashing metal.

"So these people are your brothers?" he asked me as we ran.

"More or less. I'm adopted."

"Oh, good."

"Good?" I looked at him quizzically. Rogers nodded.

"For a while there I thought that incest was normal now, too!"

I nearly vomited.

"No, Cap," I groaned. "Adopted brothers. Childhood best friends."

We crashed into a small clearing where Tony and Thor were bickering.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with!" Thor shouted.

"Uh," Tony shrugged. "Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?"

"He's quite a… character," Rogers sighed as Thor and Tony flew at each other, hammer and suit clashing. I nodded.

"Yup. He doesn't really know when to shut up," I agreed. A lightning bolt hit Tony squarely in the chest, sending him flying. "Should we intervene or something?"

"Not without a plan," Rogers insisted. I groaned.

"Cap, they're about to kill each other. We don't have time to plan. Can't you improvise?" Rogers blinked at me as Thor went soaring across the destroyed clearing, a sphere of arc reactor energy in his chest. Rogers then turned and threw his shield into the fray. It bounced off of Thor's chest, knocking him backward, and then ricocheted into Tony, throwing him backwards as well.

"That's enough!" Rogers cried, leaping out of our hiding place. He turned to Thor. "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here –"

"I've come to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor bellowed. Uh-oh. He was pretty pissed off. I could tell by his voice.

"Then prove it!" Rogers shouted back. "Put the hammer down!"

"Uh. Yeah, no. He loves his hammer," I groaned.

"You want me to put the hammer down?" Thor screamed, eyes blazing.

"Shit!" I sighed as Thor leapt into the air, ready to bring Mjolnir down on Rogers. At the same time Tony leapt toward Thor. They were all converging on Rogers. He would be flattened like a pancake. "Why do I always have to do all the work!" I complained, leaping into the air.

I dove in front of Rogers, an imperceptible bullet of a person, my sapphires flaring cobalt blue. I siphoned all the energy of the wind into my forearms until they shook violently with all that power. I could feel my strength building within me, building, building… I released it. All of this occurred in a matter of several seconds.

Everyone but myself was launched backward out of the clearing. My arms had turned now to a light sky color and my hands shook, but endorphins pumping in my blood gave me a fantastic high. I was kneeling on one knee in the middle of the meadow, hands outstretched as if I was about to catch a basketball. The grass had been flattened and a nearby tree tipped over.

"What was that?" asked the shaky voice of Steve Rogers from behind me.

"_Loft beygja_," I replied, not moving from my crouch as Tony and Thor wandered back into the clearing, expressions perplexed. "Air bending. Didja' like that, Captain?"

"Impressive…" Rogers agreed in wonder.

"Raven!" Thor cried out, his look of confusion morphing into joyful shock. I slowly rose to my feet.

"Thor," I greeted. "Tony."

"Are we done here?" Rogers demanded, laying his shield on the ground as Tony and Thor came within six feet of us. Tony flipped his Ironman mask up and Thor allowed his hammer to drop to his side. I reluctantly let my power dissipate through my body, vibrating slightly. My sapphires were hungry for action. The _loft baygia _had sparked energy I hadn't exercised in years. It felt wonderful.

"Loki probably escaped while you _men _were fighting each other," I grumbled.

"Well it really wasn't my fault!" protested Tony, casting a reproachful glance in Thor's direction, who glared in response.

"You tackled me first!" Thor argued. Rogers and I looked at each other and he shook his head. I rolled my eyes and turned around to find the outcropping we left Loki on emp- still inhabited? Loki's big green eyes were peering over a large boulder, observing the ruined landscape like a hungry child. My mouth fell open and I cast a sideways glance at Rogers questioningly. He shrugged.

"You're still here?" I called upward over Tony and Thor's bickering.

"Yes," Loki grinned. I looked back at Rogers, pointing in confusion at our hostage who hadn't escaped.

"Why didn't you run away while we were settling our differences?" Thor demanded, his thunderous voice making me jump. Loki's grin grew wider.

"I'll never tell!" Loki giggled mischievously. I looked between my male companions, who all looked as perplexed as I felt.

"Should we take him back to base?" Rogers wondered, scratching his head as Natasha appeared overhead in the Quinjet.

"He's either high or scheming," I muttered. "I'd be willing to bet a lot of money on the latter." I began to clamber up the steep rock face, my companions following me.

"What do you mean by 'high?'" Thor shouted.

"Drugs, Mr. Thundercloud," Tony stated. "The lovely substances of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroine –"

"Thank you, Mr. Stark!" Rogers called out as I helped him onto the ledge where Loki was waiting patiently. "That's quite enough of that!"

We pulled Thor and Tony onto the protrusion of rock as Natasha came running toward us.

"You missed all the fun," I complained, heaving Loki to his feet. Rogers took one of his arms and Tony the other and I walked beside Thor, who immediately wrapped his enormous arms around me and spun me around in several circles.

"Little sister!" his voice boomed in my ear. "I thought the worst when you vanished in the new land of Mexico! How ever did you survive the Destroyer?"

"You forget that I control fire," I laughed as he set me down. "It was no more bothersome than a slight heat wave."

"It is wonderful to see you again, Raven," Thor exclaimed, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as we began to walk back to the Quinjet, trailing behind the others. "Father and mother grieved mightily after you vanished. Sif has missed you dearly. _I_ have missed you more than most." I sighed.

"I missed you too, brother!" I whispered, hugging him around the waist as we walked.

"After all this is over, I beg of you – come home!" Thor said adamantly. "Your place is not with these people. It is with Asgard." I grimaced.

"I'll see, Thor. My path is hidden from me… Plus, the Allfather probably won't be very happy to see me after all I have done."

"Jord misses her only daughter," Thor interrupted. "Sif misses her best friend. I miss my sister. And Odin misses Loki; even after all he's done. No, our real enemy is the Silvertongue."

I stopped dead in my tracks, glanced around, and then yanked Thor behind a large boulder.

"Thor," I began softly. "You are correct, brother. Mikal is working through Loki. He's using our brother as a pawn; it is _him_ we should be targeting. Help me; you are the only one who will believe me." Thor remained silent. "There is still hope for Loki," I added gently. Thor's blue eyes lit up vibrantly. "We'll have to work separately from the Avengers. However, we let them believe our target is Loki. But really our goal is Mikal. The Silvertongue."

"Tell me what we need to do."


	13. Smells Like Teen Spirit

**AN: This chapter follows the movie pretty closely. I hope you - the reader - are enjoying my rendition of the Avengers! Thanks to all who have helped make me feel like it's worth it to keep writing! Please leave some feedback before you go!**

**HockeyGirl871**

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Chapter 13 – Smells Like Teen Spirit

**Raven Carter's POV**

"In case it's unclear," Nick Fury said as he led Loki to where he was going to be held for the remainder of his time in the Helicarrier, an enormous warship that could both float and fly. "If you try to escape – you so much as _scratch _that glass…" He pressed a button on the railing, which opened up a gaping hole in the middle of Loki's cell. "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get the picture?"

The other heroes and I watched the scene go down on a video screen. I stood between Bruce and Thor, tapping my chin thoughtfully with one hand.

"It's an impressive cage," Loki commented. "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury agreed, shoving Loki inside.

"The mindless beast makes play to be a man," Loki sneered, casting a gloating glare upward into the camera. Beside me Bruce stiffened, his expression darkening at the mention of his condition. I slipped my hand into his reassuringly. "How desperate are you?" snarled Loki as Fury made a move to seal the prison. "You call on these lost creatures to defend you."

"How desperate am I?" Fury nearly shouted, incredulousness evident in his tone. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill because it's fun."

"Does he not realize this won't phase him?" I whispered to Thor as Loki's smile only grew.

"If anything it fuels his fire," Thor agreed quietly.

"You've made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did," Fury concluded with finality. But Loki wasn't done.

"It burns you so close," he scoffed. "To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share and then to be reminded what real power is."

"Yeah, well," Fury shrugged indifferently. "You let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

"And you slept with this man? You're crazier than I thought!" Tony shouted, interrupting the contemplative silence that had followed the conclusion of Fury's interrogation. Four sets of eyes turned to look at me.

"Tony!" I yelled back, hands shaking. "Just _fuck off!_" The room was silent as I stormed out, shoving past a very startled Agent Coulson in order to get away from Tony Stark. I pushed through numerous guards and S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, still unsure of where I was going. I created a cushion of air around myself and closed my eyes, letting my feet take me wherever they desired.

"Fancy seeing you here," hissed an icy voice. I opened my eyes. It wasn't much of a surprise to find myself standing in front of Loki's cell. He wore a coy smile on his face, hands clasped amiably behind his back as he stared at me. He almost looked like the old Loki. The one before Mikal. But the eyes were wrong. They were dull and emotionless. The Loki I knew was full of energy. I walked up to the glass and Loki did the same. Without speaking, I raised my hand and pressed it against the clear side of the cell, and Loki's sarcastic persona dropped. He looked down at my gesture, face softening. For a moment, as he brought his hand closer to mine, I thought something had snapped. But instead he threw a first in my direction, his knuckles bouncing off the glass in front of my face. I jumped back at his action, recoiling at his cold, merciless laughter. He'd been trying to scare me. "Look at you!" he sneered, pacing back and forth like a hungry panther. "You're pathetic! Weak! I knew I should have never trusted you!"

"I'm just trying to help you," I said calmly, observing him without emotion.

"Help me! Hah! What a funny idea," he responded. He swooped very close to the wall between us, his breath puffing little bits of condensation onto the glass. If it hadn't been for the barrier I would have felt the heat of his breathing on my forehead. "You can't even help yourself!"

Suddenly, numerous Lokis began popping up outside his little tank, a mirage of images from every age, a twelve year old here and an eighteen year old there, all jeering and grinning at me. I barely looked at them before I waved my hand and they vanished, blown away by an artificial wind. I turned back to Loki, who hadn't moved.

"It's a cute trick," I complimented. "But that's all it was. A conjuring trick." It was my turn to swoop close to the glass, expression ferocious. "Are you well aware that I could kill you right now?" I hissed, eyes narrowing. Loki's grin only grew. "I could turn your little tank into a fish bowl," I sneered, and as I spoke several inches of water appeared on the floor of Loki's cell. "Or I could just create a vacuum around your lungs." Loki's smile vanished and his face paled as I did exactly that. "But I won't." I released him from the steely grip of suffocation. "Because you're not my enemy here." A laugh escaped Loki's throat.

"You mean to take on Mikal the Silvertongue!" Loki chortled. "Then you are a fool! His power has grown, Raven Carter!"

"Nice talking to you," I called over my shoulder. "It's been a stress reliever to see I'm not the only disillusioned one on this aircraft."

"Oh, I think you are, sister!" Loki called after me. "You see, unlike you, I have the means to win."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" I left without a backwards glance, absolutely certain my hypothesis was correct.

**Bruce Banner's POV**

"Was that really necessary?" I demanded, turning to Mr. Stark as Raven left the room in blind fury, nearly running over top of Agent Coulson.

"It wasn't," Thor grumbled.

"It was an honest question!" Stark objected under the disapproving glare from both Thor and I.

"Regardless, it really was-"

"Can we please stay on track here?" Rogers shouted, interrupting me. I closed my mouth, but kept a cold glare fixed on Stark. "Loki is gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri that none or any would know. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army from outer space," Agent Coulson affirmed. Thor nodded.

"So he's building another portal like the one at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base," I mused. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor wondered, turning to face me. I nodded.

"An astrophysicist."

"A friend of mine," Thor countered, scratching his jaw thoughtfully.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours," Natasha stated. I didn't miss the flicker of sadness pass across her face. Hawkeye was the other Avenger. I knew they had history. Could it be something more?

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," I said. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."

"Watch how you speak!" Thor growled, spinning around to face me. My eyes widened. "Loki may be beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he's my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days," Romanoff muttered under her breath. Thor blinked.

"He's adopted!"

**Tony Stark's POV**

"What did they need the Iridium for?" Bruce Banner asked as he leaned over a blinking monitor screen.

"It's a stabilizing agent," I responded. "By the way I'm a huge fan of your work on anti-electron collision." I extended my hand to the brilliant scientist and he shook it warily. "And especially of how you turn into an enormous green rage monster!"

"Thanks," Banner replied, casting a scathing look in my direction. What had I done wrong?"

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube," came Nick Fury's voice from the doorway. "I was hoping you might join him."

"Can we start with his scepter?" Rogers asked. "It might be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

"I don't know about that," answered a cool female voice. I turned and was marginally relieved to see Raven reentering the room. "But it's powered by the cube."

"That's all well and good," Fury added, making room for Raven to join our little workstation. "But what I want to know is how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" Thor asked, obviously baffled. "I do not understand."

"I do!" Rogers exclaimed as I opened my mouth to explain. "I understood that reference."

Raven walked past me without even so much as glancing in my direction.

"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's research on the Tesseract. But it's gonna take weeks to process."

I took advantage of Banner's distracted state to jab him with an electrical shock device. Was it smash time?

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, whirling around to face me. I leaned closed, observing his irises.

"Nothing?"

**Bruce Banner's POV**

I wasn't especially mad that Stark had shocked me in the first place. If I couldn't handle a little pain I would have never allowed myself onto this ship. But it was his vested interest in seeing the other guy that I despised. He thought that I enjoyed being 'the Incredible Hulk.' He thought I could control the monster. He thought I had never hurt anyone I loved. Heat rushed into my palms. He was trying to get me to snap. And I hated it.

"Tony!" Raven shouted. "Are you an idiot?"

"You really have got a lid on it, haven't you?" Stark insisted. "What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

"Shut up!" Raven shouted, and Stark turned to face her as Captain America entered the room. "Is _everything _a joke to you?"

"Funny things are," Stark replied evenly.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on the ship isn't funny, Mr. Stark!" Rogers entered the argument now. "No offense, doctor."

"It's alright, Rogers," I said quietly. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pinpricks."

"You need to focus on the problem," Rogers told Stark angrily.

"You think I'm not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? He is a spy, Captain. He is _the _spy. His secrets have secrets." I turned away from them to hide my expression, but Stark knew better. "It's bugging you, too, isn't it?"

"Look, Mr. Stark," I replied. "I just want to finish my work here and go home. Did you hear Loki say 'a warm light for all mankind to share' during the interrogation?" Stark nodded. "I think it was meant for you."

"Stark Tower is powered by reactors that are self sustaining. The building will run itself for a while," I told Rogers and Raven.

"Only the prototypes are functioning right now," Stark mused.

"So why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the Tesseract project?" Raven asked, pointing to Stark. "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"

"I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files," Stark thought aloud. Rogers blanked.

"What?"

"In a few hours we'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide."

"And you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" Rogers scoffed, eyes blazing.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence," Raven ruminated to herself. "Historically not awesome." Rogers looked at her for several seconds and shook his head.

"I think Loki is trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don't stay focused he will succeed. We have orders, we should follow them."

"Following is not really my style," Stark retorted uncomfortably.

"Oh and you're all about style, of course, Mr. Stark," Rogers growled, jumping to his feet. I turned to Raven and shook my head slowly. She put her chin in her hands, looking morose.

"Of the people in this room, which one is a) wearing a spangly outfit and b) of no use?" Stark shot back.

"Tony, please!" Raven cried out. Stark looked over his shoulder at her. "And Steve, you can't tell me that absolutely none of this seems out of place." Rogers regarded Raven, Stark and I coolly.

"Just find the cube," he muttered and walked out, leaving us in silence.


	14. Fragile

**AN: Thanks to anyone who is reading this right now, I love you! ;D Hope you are enjoying! Please leave a review!**

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Chapter 14 - Fragile

**Raven Carter's POV **

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?" Tony demanded, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder after the retreating form of Rogers. "I'm just wondering if they should have kept him on ice…"

"He's not wrong about Loki," I admitted. "He does have a jump on us."

"What he's got is a stick of dynamite," Tony countered. "It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does."

"I assume you'll light the fuse, too," I chided. Tony took a sip of wine.

"No," he replied. "You will."

"And I'll read all about it," Bruce said, smiling.

"Or you'll be suiting up with us," Tony argued, facing the brilliant scientist. I tensed. "You know, I've read all about your 'accident.' That much gamma radiation should have killed you." Bruce regarded him with confusion.

"What he's saying is," I interrupted. "Is that the Hulk saved your life." I stood up and exited the room as the two geniuses continued to quarrel and talk. I went to find Thor. We needed to discuss things in private. Loki's life hinged upon our plan not failing. However, halfway there I ran into Natasha heading down into the lower portions of the Helicarrier.

"Hi, Natasha," I greeted. Things had always been relatively tense between us, being the only females on the Avengers team. An uneasy truce had been forged, but no matter how hard she pretended to be emotionless, she was biologically female. I nearly laughed out loud at the thought; two ridiculously powerful women still caving to the elementary habit of competition.

"Carter," she responded impassively. It was so hard to get a read on her.

"Where are you headed?" I asked sociably.

"To interrogate Loki. There's something he's not telling us. Also, I need to know what he has done with Agent Barton - Hawkeye. Fury's orders."

"Fury's orders?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows. "Or your own?" Natasha's scowl was darker than it had ever been before.

"Unlike some, I am incapable of becoming emotionally compromised," she sneered in my direction.

"Ouch!" I feigned injury, clutching my stomach. "As if that remark still hurts!" Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"Just stick to your place on the chessboard and we'll return you and your boyfriend to the Asgard in due time." Natasha stalked down the steel steps, heels clinking against the metal as she went. I shook my head. My best wishes to Loki on dealing with this one.

I found Thor on the bridge with Agent Coulson discussing Jane. I never had a chance to formally introduce myself to the mortal woman Thor was hopelessly enamored with, but she was intelligent and very beautiful from what I had seen thus far.

"We've got her stationed at an observatory in Traunsee," Coulson told Thor. "Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

"Thank you," Thor said as I reached them. "It's no accident Loki took Erik Selvig. I dread what plans he has for him once his usefulness has run its course. Erik is a good man. Hello, Raven," he added, smiling in my direction. I kissed his cheek in greeting and turned to observe the Helicarrier. It certainly was the single most impressive engineering feat I'd ever seen. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushed to and fro, some shouting orders, some monitoring computers, others playing Tetras. That young kid probably thought no one had noticed his little game.

"We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced," Thor was saying. "But we come here battling like Blichsteim!"

"Like what?" Coulson queried, narrowing his eyes.

"They don't have those on earth, brother," I laughed. Thor appeared bemused at the revelation and I laughed again. "They are repulsive," I informed Colson. "Big, scaly, and smell bad, too. They trample everything in their path."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"When I first came to earth, Loki's rage followed me here," Thor said quietly. We were sitting together on a ledge, our feet dangling above a seemingly endless abyss, an enormous glass window surrounding us. All around us was the sky, a beautiful light blue, sunlight leaking into our little oasis. I wasn't quite sure what the function of this room was; everything on the Helicarrier seemed to have a point. But not this place. There were no computers, no men dressed in black suits, no Nick Fury, and no noise. Perhaps that was the purpose – an escape. Whatever our little glass bubble existed for, Thor and I were putting it to good use. "Humans paid the price. And now again."

"The war hasn't started yet," I replied gently, resting my hand on his knee.

"Yet this is all my fault," Thor continued, looking out into the sky. "If only I had had the vision to see what he felt-"

"Thor," I began with a sigh. "It's not Loki who-"

"Sister, how long will you hold these beliefs dear to your heart?" Thor demanded. I opened my mouth, but he _shhed_ me. "Loki is far beyond anything a logical mind can do for him. He's insane, Raven. Mikal might be behind him pulling strings, but in the end only Loki is responsible for his own actions."

"Are you to abandon me as well, brother?" I muttered. "Are you to abandon your own brother?"

"What else can I do?" Thor asked, clenching his fists.

"Help me fight the Silvertongue!" I nearly shouted. "He has Loki's hands tied behind his back! I watched it happen, Thor! I watched Mikal do this to him! It's very true that Loki has always been jealous of you and all your glory, but there again so was I! This malicious, evil person is not your brother. Loki is the god of mischief; not evil."

Thor sighed heavily, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"Raven…" he warned. "I cannot let my own personal feelings interfere with the safety of this world. I am going to stop this, even if it means going through my brother to do it." I stayed silent as Thor stood, brushing himself off. I shook my head.

"Even you," I muttered, rocking back and forth slightly. "Even you."

"I'm sorry, sister," Thor murmured. I could tell by his voice he genuinely meant it. "But I have to protect my love as well."

I watched Thor exit the little retreat, his head down. I hoped he could feel my eyes burning into his back as he walked away, leaving me alone and helpless. I looked down at my hands, clenched into tight fists, the nails biting into my palms. It would be so easy to go back to how I was before. The bad guy. Sapphires coursed through my suit. I could destroy the whole Helicarrier if I wanted. It would be simple enough to blow it out of the sky with a surprise wayward wind. I stuffed my fist into my mouth and screamed, sound muffled by my hand. Furious tears dripped from my eyes.

"**Run away with me, Raven!"**

"**Loki, we can't. We have obligations here in Asgard…"**

"**As what? Thor's stooge and butler as he rules this realm? I think not."**

"**Loki, dear, you're overreacting." I smoothed his soft black hair away from his forehead as I spoke. We lay in our garden, him beneath me as the sun fell. His long arms were wrapped around my waist and my fingers traced the lines on his face and hair. I snuggled deeper in his embrace and placed a hot, wet kiss onto his neck. He moaned softly.**

"**Am I?" he asked as I worked my way over his collarbone. I nodded.**

"**Yes." **

**Loki sighed contentedly. **

"**You're right, of course, as usual." **

**I smiled at him. **

"**It's not like Thor is out to get you or anything. Besides, what would you do with the throne anyway? All of our… adventures –" I tickled his collarbones with my fingers,"- would be lost."**

"**I definitely wouldn't give up that!" he exclaimed facetiously, and I giggled as he wrapped his legs around mine and rolled on top. My expression faded into seriousness.**

"**You don't need to be a king for people to love you," I said quietly. Loki's smile wavered slightly, and I thought I saw tears in his eyes. **

"**As long as you do," he whispered. I squeezed my eyes closed as he kissed me. I didn't believe in love. At least that's what I told myself. But Loki made it all seem slightly more real.**

"Raven, are you alright?"

I broke from my reverie drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Thor was kneeling beside me, a look of concern crossing his face. I found myself to be lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling. These flashbacks were so bizarre. One minute I was Raven Carter the Avenger and the next I was returned to a moment in my past.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I said quickly, sitting up. "Where's the fire?" I asked, noting Thor's anxious expression.

"Loki plans to unleash the Hulk." I looked to the doorway where Natasha was waiting. "We have to get you to Dr. Banner, you're the only one he trusts."

"Shit!" I groaned, using Thor to stagger to my feet. "How much time do we have?"

"Minutes," Natasha replied. I took one look at my brother and ran, fighting my way through the crowd of startled S.H.I.E.L.D. agents toward the laboratory deck. I'd seen the Hulk turn one of the most powerful supers I know into a punching bag. The monster on a plane carrying hundreds of personnel would be catastrophic. If I was the only hope that we had, it wasn't looking good for our immediate futures.


	15. Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter 15 - Welcome to the Jungle

**Raven Carter's POV**

I crashed into the lab to find Bruce, Rogers, Tony, and Director Fury all standing around, bristling like angry animals. In Rogers' hands he held a big gun; and when I say big gun, I meant an enormous weapon that looked like it could kill all of us without struggle.

"Ah, Raven," Tony greeted. "Ready to do that catching up like I promised?"

"I don't think now is really the best time!" Fury snarled. "Miss Carter, I'll have to ask you to-"

"I think this is the perfect time," Tony interrupted. "Take a look at this." He pushed a computer screen in my direction and my breath caught in my throat. There were multiple designs for weapons, weapons of mass destruction. Tony slid a finger across the screen and these blueprints vanished to reveal several more. They were all powered by the Tesseract. I looked between Director Fury and the plans, disgust evident on my face. They didn't know what they were dealing with. Out of all of Odin's treasures, the Tesseract was by far the most powerful. It could wipe life off the face of an entire planet. When we were young, Thor, Loki, and I were told only to stay away from the cube. Even the gods couldn't control its might. So what gave S.H.I.E.L.D. the right to assume they could harness the Tesseract's power?

"Phase 2 is using the cube to power weapons," Rogers stated. "I thought we would have learned something in World War II about that, Director Fury. I was wrong- the world hasn't changed a bit."

Natasha and entered the lab behind me and Bruce turned to us both, expression dark.

"Did you two know about this?" he demanded, gesturing in our direction. I opened my mouth to respond but Natasha cut me off.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, Dr. Banner?" she asked coldly, crossing her arms.

"You were the one who brought him here!" I shouted, shoving Natasha aside. Her eyes narrowed. "Watch yourself, Carter."

"She has a point," Bruce commented, coming to my aide. He walked to my side and glared Natasha down, eyes blazing. "I was pretty much removed in Calcutta!" Natasha's eyes darted back and forth between us.

"Loki is manipulating you," she said. "Both of you."

"And you've done what exactly?" Bruce yelled back. My hands vibrated. I looked down. My suit was glowing cobalt blue. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction!"

"Last year, earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we alone but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned." Fury crossed his arms, addressing Banner now.

"Our people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor growled, hand tightening around Mjolnir.

"But you're not the only other race out there, are you?" Fury demanded, single eye widening. "You're not the only threat! The world is filling up with people who can't be matched. They can't be controlled."

"Because you're able to control the Tesseract so well!" I shouted.

"I told you to watch yourself, Carter!" Natasha hissed, but I didn't listen in the slightest.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki and his allies to it!" I cried in exasperation. "Your 'defense' is really a threat to the other realms that earth is ready for a higher form of war!"

"A higher form of war..?" Bruce questioned, looking between Thor and I. I nodded.

"You know my story. That's why Gias exiled me!" I breathed to him as Tony entered the conversation.

"A nuclear deterrent always calms things right down," he stated sarcastically.

"Remind me of how you made your fortune, Stark?" Rogers demanded, turning to Tony, whose eyes widened defensively. "I'm sure that if you still made weapons you'd be neck deep in-"

"Wait, how is this about me?" Tony demanded, raising his hands.

"Isn't everything?" Rogers countered venomously.

Tony, Fury, Thor, Natasha, and Rogers dove into an argument, Romanoff shoving me into Bruce in her haste to defend her boss. I tripped backward into his chest and he placed his palms on my shoulders to stabilize me. I felt the brilliant scientist shaking slightly and I looked up at him, defending Asgard quickly losing its importance.

"Bruce," I whispered, "are you alright?"

"It's his M.O. isn't it?" he asked quietly. I gave him a confused look. "I mean, what are we, a team? No. No, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're… a time bomb…"

"Banner, maybe you should step away," Fury shouted, and all eyes turned to look at us. Bruce's hands were shaking slightly, and his grip on my shoulders was growing painful.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony demanded. Heat rushed into my palms and cheeks as anger coursed through my bloodstream, and I broke away from Bruce.

"You know damn well why, Tony Stark! You're ignorant. Back off!" I snarled. Tony's eyes narrowed.

"Maybe Loki's right. Maybe you are a backstabbing liar."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded. The others moved off to their own quarrels; this became our fight.

"Who got you into this initiative instead of letting you rot in your jail cell back at base, hmm?" Tony asked as I approached him. "Let me tell you, I didn't do it for you. It was for Pepper."

"Yeah? The only reason I'm not blowing up this ship right now is because of Pepper. You ought to be thankful."

"What?" Rogers intervened, seizing my arm and spinning me around to face him. "What are you talking about?"

"Back off, Rogers, this doesn't concern you!" Tony barked.

"You back off, Stark. This does concern me if it's a threat to our safety."

"Make me!" Tony uncrossed his arms as Rogers released me.

"Yeah, a big man in a suit of armor. Take that away and what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," Tony responded.

"And don't forget asshole," I snarled. "You're so petty."

"Agent Romanoff, Miss Carter, please escort Dr. Banner back to his –" Fury began.

"Where?" Bruce shouted, clenching his fist. "You're renting my room!"

"The cell was just –"

"In case you needed to kill me!" Bruce bellowed. "But you can't! I tried! I got low, I didn't see an end. So I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it back out!"

"Dr. Banner, please –"

"So I moved on. I focused on helping people."

"Dr. Banner –"

"I was _fine_ until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"

"Bruce, put down the scepter!" I screamed. The room fell eerily silent as Bruce looked at his hand, which was wrapped around Loki's staff. He looked back up at me as a little blinking light erupted on one of the monitors.

"Sorry, kids," he said weakly, placing the scepter back on its stand. "You don't get to see my party trick after all."

"We've located the Tesseract," Natasha called out, and Bruce joined her at a monitor.

"The cube belongs on Asgard, no human is match for it," I stated, glaring at Tony.

"I can get there faster," he argued.

"You're not going alone!" Rogers commanded, flexing his muscles.

"I assume you're gonna stop me?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes.

"Put the suit on, let's find out!"

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man!"

"Put on the suit!"

"Oh, my God!" came Bruce's cry. "The Tesseract! It's –"

The lab exploded, sending us all flying. My head collided with an inflexible metal beam and I fell into a deep hole created by the blast. I landed hard on a metal grate, vision blurry and ears ringing. I rolled onto my side, struggling to get a grip on what had occurred. I was about twenty feet from the bottom of the pit, and the demolished lab could be seen far above. I groaned, looking down. Natasha had fallen the whole way and was stuck, caught under a mountain of steel, plastic, and electrical wires. Her body shook with small jolts until the energy dissipated. Bruce. Where was Bruce? I rolled onto my back again as the sound off feet landing on my steel catwalk, readying the elements around me for use. I screamed.

"Hello, Raven Laufeyson. Miss me?"

It was Mikal.


	16. Smooth Criminal

**AN: Thank you to everyone who has read my story, I really, really appreciate it! You guys are the best! ^.^ I hope you are enjoying it so far! Please leave a review to help me out! Thanks!**

**HockeyGirl871**

* * *

Chapter 16 – Smooth Criminal

**Raven Carter's POV**

"Hello, Raven Laufeyson. Miss me?"

It was as if my nightmares had entered the waking world. Everything came rushing back, straight from the moment Loki and I found him wasting away in Siberia. We should have left him there. I recalled how he held an unbelievable sway over Loki and at one time myself and I panicked. I felt my heart race and my suit grew pale; Mikal was the only person that I feared. He stood before me looking as godlike and proper as ever, dressed in a fairly tight black suit, numerous weapons hooked to his belt and strapped around his intensely muscled chest. Captivating blue eyes stared arrogantly into mine, partially obscured by reddish-gold hair covering his forehead. He wore a pleasantly deceiving smile on his gorgeous face; obviously he didn't fear me at all. I couldn't answer his question, so all encompassing was my fear. I simply crab-walked backward, scuttling along the ground without taking my eyes off of him. I didn't make it very far; a pipe ripped from the wall and collided with my head, throwing me to the ground.

"I'll take that as a no!" Mikal smirked in his Russian accent as blue blood dripped from my temple. I pressed a hand to my forehead, whimpering in pain. A boot landed squarely in my stomach and I flopped onto my back again, unable to breath. Metal snakes crept around my wrists and ankles, tying me to the unfeeling grate. Mikal jumped on me, laughing maliciously. "Well I missed you dearly!" he said snidely, and, as I writhed in disgust, he licked the length of my throat. When he pulled back his lips were coated in my blood. "Mm," he muttered thoughtfully. "You're just as appealing as I remember."

"You're despicable!" I shouted, straining against my bonds until my extremities bled. Mikal grinned.

"Am I?"

"Bruce," I heard a weakened voice say. "You gotta fight it! This is just what Loki wants! We're gonna be okay! Listen to me!"

I looked under Mikal's arm and was startled to see Bruce, half transformed into the Hulk, moaning and fighting against his hyperactive cells. Natasha was still trapped right beside him.

"Your team is doing a marvelous job of stopping us!" Mikal sneered. "Did Loki tell you our plans?"

"No," I muttered. "But his eyes told me enough."

"Ahh, of course!" Mikal cried. "Well, then you're more intelligent than I previously thought."

"We're going to be okay!" Natasha shouted, terror evident in her tone. "I swear on my life I will get you out of this! You will walk away! You'll never –"

"Your life!" Bruce bellowed, the Hulk gaining control of his mind. Mikal's smile flattered ever so slightly and he glanced over his shoulder. That was just the window I needed. I erupted into flames, scalding his body and melting my metallic bonds. Mikal shrieked in pain, staggering backward, clothing aflame. Pieces of his skin dripped from his face and he turned away, howling in pain. I kicked the middle of his back, sending him flying and I rolled off the grate, falling twenty feet to land in front of a fully transformed Hulk. I didn't waste time or think. Air erupted from my palms and I directed it straight into Hulk's chest, and he flew backward, smashing through several crates of explosive materials, all of which detonated, creating a flaming barrier between Natasha and I and the Hulk. I turned to Romanoff and began freeing her from the rubble pile.

"Who was that? That man up there?" she shouted, indicating where Mikal had been.

"That's the Silvertongue I told your boss about!" I replied, yanking Natasha to her feet. "The one people won't believe me about." The Hulk roared, and we took off running, me half dragging Romanoff with me.

"Fury thought you made him up in order to take the pressure off Loki," she told me as the Hulk thundered after us, destroying everything in his path.

"Yeah, well, I didn't. Bruce could have vouched for that," I stated spitefully.

"Bruce isn't vouching for anything right now," Natasha replied as the Hulk made a locked metal door look like silly putty. I looked around desperately. Natasha's leg had been hurt badly in the fall; she couldn't keep up this pace. We'd have to fly out.

"Grab my waist!" I cried, using fire to blast a hole in the ceiling.

"Why?" she demanded, face twisting into an expression of disgust.

"Just do it! I'm not into girls and definitely not you!" I shouted. She wasn't entirely convinced this was a good idea, but she didn't have a choice. She wrapped her arms around me and I jumped into the air, a strong artificial updraft hauling us into the air. The Hulk reached for Natasha's boot, but something threw him away. I didn't know what it was, but I was thankful for it. We flew straight up onto the bridge where Fury was attempting to direct the broken ship. I dropped Natasha beside her boss and landed nearby.

"Fury!" I called over the chaos. "What's going on?"

"Stark and Rogers are attempting to restart a blown turbine! Thor is battling the Hulk," he yelled back, ducking as the ship pitched through the air.

"Mikal is here!" Romanoff gasped out. Fury paused in his frantic order giving and looked directly at her.

"Say what?"

"Mikal the Silvertongue is here, it wasn't a lie. He's onboard somewhere," Natasha persisted, ducking as the doors of the bridge were thrown open. I threw up a wall of air to deflect bullets at the sound of a gunshot, but I couldn't hold it for long.

"Sapphire, can you take this guy down?"

"Grenade!"

Natasha, Fury, and I were all thrown aside as an explosion racked the bridge. I landed hard on my side, the wind gushing from my control, as did the breath in my lungs. I crawled toward the fallen Black Widow, seizing her shoulder and rolling her onto her back. Blood dripped from a gash in her forehead, but otherwise she remained unharmed.

"I'm fine!" she choked out. "Help the director!"

"Sapphire, what you can do to help is go after Silvertongue!" Fury called over the sound of bullets and shouting. "You know him best! Whatever you do, don't let him destroy the Helicarrier!"

"Got it, sir!" I yelled back. I rolled out from my hiding place and began to run for an open window into the main hull of the ship. The twang of an elastic string followed by searing pain in my foot caused me to stumble. I looked up into the eyes of who I assumed was Agent Barton – or Hawkeye. I ripped the arrow from my foot and sent a blast of fire hurtling toward the talented archer. He ducked and I jumped through the exit, disappearing from sight. I raced through the hallways of the Helicarrier, rage vibrating through my hands. Explosions racked the ship. That caliber… It was coming from outside fire! I dashed to a window and looked out just in time to see the Hulk leap off of the aircraft carrier and onto an unfortunate pilot's small jet. Hulk ripped the thing to shreds and then fell, plummeting toward earth at a fantastic rate. "Bruce!" I whispered quietly, stretching a hand out as if to save him. But I couldn't. He was too far away, and I didn't have enough time. Plus, I had to find Mikal.

**Steve Rogers' POV**

"The relays are intact!" I bellowed over the sound of whooshing air. "What's our next move?"

"Even if the rotors are clear, this thing won't reengage without a jump!" Stark responded. "I'm gonna have to get in there and push!"

"You could be ripped to shreds!" I warned.

"Flip the red lever at my command. It'll slow down the rotors long enough for me to get out. Wait for my word!"

I scrambled toward the lever Stark had indicated as the turbine once again began to whirl, but a bang followed by the sound of a bullet pinging off metal drew my attention. I ducked as best I could as the gunfire continued to rain down on me. I heard the clicking sound that indicated an empty magazine and I dove out into the open, tackling the bad guy where he stood. I tossed him out of the gaping hole in the Helicarrier and turned to the next enemy, dodging as he unloaded several shots in my direction. I seized a discarded weapon from the floor and opened fire, killing him in his tracks. But the recoil from the weapon was stronger than I had anticipated; I stepped on a loose piece of metal and tumbled from the giant war ship, only catching myself on a dangling electrical cord.

"'Time to hit the switch, Cap!" Stark's voice said into my earpiece.

"You're gonna have to wait on that, Stark…"

"Well, we don't have much time to wait…"

**Raven Carter's POV**

"Barton was spotted with an unknown adversary heading toward the detention lab," Fury's voice said into my earpiece. "I'm sending Natasha down. Meet her halfway."

"You've got it, sir," I muttered quietly. I slipped through a man-door as a shortcut. Mikal could easily release Loki; his specialty was metal, after all.

A fist collided with the side of my head and I fell. I would have to start being more observant. I kicked at the knees of my attacker, causing him to fall. It was Hawkeye, equipped with a loaded arrow. I lunged on top of him, knocking the arrow out of its chamber. The heel of Barton's hand collided with my chin, flipping me over his head. I rolled into a crouch and froze, the tip of an arrow pointed directly between my eyes. Sapphires pulsed through my arms. There was nothing like looking death straight in the eyes. Hawkeye drew the bow tight – but the arrow was never fired. Natasha slammed his head into the metal railing from behind.

"Go!" she shouted. "Find Silvertongue. I've got this here." I nodded and took off running, reaching the detention lab just as Mikal was letting Loki out of his prison.

"No!" I heard Thor scream. Apparently he'd had the same idea as Fury. He dove toward Loki, arms outstretched. Loki crouched preparing to meet his brother in combat. But Thor passed right through him, sailing into the abandoned cell. Mikal closed the doors.

"No!" I screamed, springing into action with a rush of cold wind accompanying me, blowing Mikal away from the control panel and far out of sight. I moved to release Thor from Loki's prison, but a sharp blade knocked me aside.

"Pathetic, Raven!" Loki sneered, standing above me. I narrowed my eyes, flipping onto my feet and sending a haymaker punch into Loki's jaw. He staggered back, eyes blazing. I sent a gush of wind cascading toward him, forcing him to back up, rolling my arms in large circles in order to direct the wind. Again and again I hit him with my power, sending him tumbling straight into the barrel of an enormous gun.

"Move away, please," said Agent Coulson. Loki turned to face the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, expression nervous and wary as he eyed the massive weapon. "You like this? We started working on it after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?" Loki began to raise his hands and I relaxed slightly, color draining from my face. I held out my hand to accept Loki's scepter, once again victorious. "I didn't think you – ARGH!" Agent Coulson's face contorted in agony as a knife blade tore through his chest, bloody tip protruding from his body. Mikal's head appeared behind Coulson's and he grinned, plunging the blade even deeper. Coulson moaned in anguish.

"I guess you'll never get to know what it does!" Mikal sneered, and I watched in horror as the metal in Coulson's chest contorted, developing small, razor-like barbs.

"Noo!" Thor and I both shrieked. Even Loki appeared slightly queasy at the sight. Mikal ripped the now-jagged knife from Coulson's chest, letting the agent fall to the floor. Mikal's cold blue eyes turned to mine, and he smiled.

I lunged forward, tossing Loki aside like a ragdoll, a furious scream ripping from my throat. I collided with Mikal, throwing him to the ground. I landed blow after blow into his face until red human blood covered my knuckles and his mouth. My whole suit coursed with blue energy as I pummeled him, calling upon fire to strengthen my blows. Curses flew from his mouth and pieces of scrap metal banged off my back, but I pressed on, attempting to drive him to unconsciousness. Suddenly, a firm hand seized my hair and yanked me away, flinging me across the room into the glass of Thor's prison. Loki knelt over his fallen ruler with concern as my head spun.

"Raven!" Thor exclaimed. "Let me out!"

Loki whirled around to face us. Both of our eyes flicked to the button that would drop Thor from the Helicarrier. I dove toward it; Loki was faster. He blasted the flashing red light with a ball of energy from his scepter and Thor fell.

"Thor!" I shrieked, reaching over the steel railing as my brother tumbled way, completely at the mercy of gravity. I extended my hand to pull the wind in his favor, but a searing, slashing pain across the back of my neck sent me tumbling to the ground. Loki jumped on my chest, knee jamming into my stomach.

"How dare you!" he screamed. Blue blood dripped from the blade of his scepter. "You puny, wicked quim!"

"Did you try to behead me?" I asked meekly, touching the back of my neck questioningly. It was hot and wet. Loki's face contorted in rage. His hand clenched around my throat and I gagged as he pulled me close to his face. The scent of cold, unfeeling metal washed over me. Mikal's influence.

"I ought to just kill you now!" Loki spat, shaking me violently. The scar on the back of my neck burned with the motion.

"Well then give us a goodbye kiss," I muttered, and, tangling my hands in his long black hair, I pulled Loki's lips to mine and kissed him passionately. He shuddered in my arms, and a fantastic green glow washed into his eyes as I pressed my mouth harder into his. Interest sparkled in his face, and I was amazed to feel his cold fingers brush against my cheek. I stared into his eyes, which were growing increasingly more green and lively as the kiss went on, strength leaving my limbs as I continued to bleed. I fell backward, breaking contact with Loki, consciousness on a thin line.

**Loki's POV**

"Loki!" I whirled around to face Silvertongue. Raven lay bleeding beneath me, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Her skin was a faint periwinkle color. My breath caught. She was going to die.

"Silvertongue!" I cried, checking her pulse. "She needs medical attention!" His face twisted into disdain.

"She will live," he informed me. I glanced between them as I gained my feet. She looked extremely pale and sickly, but I trusted Silvertongue's judgment.

"What do we do now?" I asked, striding toward him anxiously.

"You're gonna lose," muttered a weak voice. We both turned to the mutilated S.H.I.E.L.D. agent lying on the floor, blood dripping down his chest. Silvertongue smirked and knelt in front of Coulson, amusement sparkling in his blue eyes.

"Am I?" he asked pleasantly. Coulson nodded shakily.

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Tell me, where is your advantage?" Silvertongue leered, grinning.

"You lack conviction," Coulson sighed, breath coming in ragged gasps. Silvertongue laughed out loud.

"I don't think I –" _**BOOM.**_

My eyes widened as Silvertongue was thrown backward, sailing head first through a metal wall, clothing ablaze and blood splattered everywhere by Agent Coulson's weapon. I stood completely still, gazing after Silvertongue with something akin to bewilderment. I felt Coulson's eyes rest on me and I returned my attention to him, raising my hands. I did not want to be hit with that thing.

"Loki…" I turned around at the sound of my name. Raven had regained consciousness and was gazing at me with pale blue eyes. I appeared at her side and knelt down, concern washing through my mind. Her hair was sopping with blood, and her suit was nearly white.

"What happened to you?" I asked, appalled. She gave me a quizzical look. I touched her forehead gently, brushing blood-soaked bangs from her eyes.

"Loki… You…" she started to say, but was interrupted by a second thunderous _**boom**__._ I screamed in agony and tumbled over myself, my garments erupting into flame. I tumbled over the nearby ledge, barely catching myself on a low hanging wire. Fear gripped me as I looked down. I didn't know how far the drop was, but I was certain I wouldn't survive.

"Raven!" I shouted above the whirring of many propellers. "Raven, help!"

**Raven Carter's POV**

I rushed to Agent Coulson's side, vision blurry and my consciousness hanging by a thread.

"Coulson," I whispered, checking his pulse. Loki and Silvertongue were both gone, and I was taking advantage of their absence to tend to my team. "Coulson, look at me!"

"Thanks for distracting him," Coulson said weakly. "We make a pretty good team!" I smiled faintly.

"Yeah, I guess we do!" I agreed, ripping the sleeve of Coulson's suit jacket and pressing it against his chest. "You're gonna be okay, you hear? We have to put our team to more use," I commanded, squinting as several Agent Coulsons swam in front of my blurred vision.

"Hah," Coulson laughed halfheartedly. "I'll do my best."

"Good…" I sighed. Unable to support myself any longer I collapsed, the only sound being my own heartbeat. Things seemed to move in slow motion. Someone seized my arms and wrenched them behind my back and began to drag me away from Coulson. A trail of glittering sapphires followed me. I felt harsh metal bonds strap around my body and I slumped forward, blackness overcoming my sight as I fell into unconsciousness.


	17. Good Riddance!

Chapter 17 – Good Riddance

**Tony Stark's POV**

For the first time in my life I felt completely numb. All the alcohol in the world could have made me pass out or even kill me, but never would I feel deader. Thor – tossed from the Helicarrier at over three thousand feet. Banner – transformed into a destructive monster and lost in God knows where. Raven – abducted by or left willingly with or enemies. And Agent Coulson, like so many others – dead. I couldn't help but shake the feeling it was somehow my fault. If I hadn't unearthed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans to construct weapons, perhaps we could have been better prepared. Maybe we could have worked as a team. Maybe Thor and Banner and Raven would still be with us. I hadn't gotten a chance to tell Raven that I hadn't meant what I said. She was my best friend. Always has been. She was Pepper's sister in bond. But now she was gone. Just like Thor. And Banner. And Coulson. Dammit, Stark, why did you have to be such an egotistical idiot?

"These were in Agent Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them." A plentiful stack of Captain America trading cards landed on the table in front of Rogers and I, dark, sticky blood splattering across the glass. Rogers leaned forward and picked a few up. I ignored them; if I looked, I would break. I could hear Fury pacing around, defeated. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract," he admitted, clasping his hands on a nearby chair. "I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, and Stark knows this –" My eyes flicked up toward the enormous forward window on the Helicarrier. "It was called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

I lurched away from them both, anger stinging behind my eyes. I paced away, aimlessly headed for nowhere. Who did Fury think he was? He thought us naïve, but I knew better. I knew what he was doing. He was manipulating us again, and Rogers was hanging on every word. He was using Coulson's death. Using a man who had died to inspire us. What right did he have? I found myself stopping in the detention lab. It felt empty, what with the Hulk's cell lost in who knows where. The room smelled of blood and metal, and the whole area was stained with either red or blue. Coulson or Raven's blood. Human or magic. I knelt down, running my fingers on the cold metal grate where powdery sapphires coated the wiring. They came off at my touch, some dislodging themselves and floating downward in the abyss, some adhering to my fingertips. I brought my hand close to my face and watched them glisten. They were innocent enough, simple blue gemstones. But somehow they contained so much power. Of course, in the end, it hadn't been enough.

"Was he married?"

I woke to the sound of Rogers' voice. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. My cheek was plastered to the catwalk in a bed of infinitesimally small sapphires, and when I righted myself, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, they stuck to my skin, causing it to shimmer. I tried to brush them off, but only ended up coating my hands as well. It was an eerie feeling, being encrusted in the contents of someone else's blood. I looked up at Rogers.

"No, he was, uh… A cellist," I said quietly, taking his hand as I gained my feet. Rogers handed me a handkerchief and I used it to wipe my face free of those stupid sapphires. There was a crosshatching of pressure-marks on my face from lying on the grate for so long and Rogers averted his gaze as I walked away from him.

"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."

"He was an idiot!" I snarled, fist tightening around the handkerchief. I was angry. Angry with Coulson. He just had to get himself killed, didn't he? Right when we had things under control, he had to get himself killed. And Raven let this happen. Why didn't she stop Silvertongue before he got to that point?

"Why?" Rogers demanded. "For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone!" I muttered, stomping on the bridge furiously. Sapphires jingled and fell away.

"He was doing his job!" Rogers protested. "Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

"We are not soldiers!" I roared, reeling around to face the captain. He flinched slightly. "_You _might be. But I, for one, am not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I," Rogers said gently, and I looked down at the now blue handkerchief in my palm. "But we have to put that behind us and get this done. Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list –"

"He made this personal," I mused, still contemplating the tissue intertwined in my fingers.

"That's not the point –"

"No, that is the point!" I interjected, looking up. "That's _Silvertongue's_ point. He hit us right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart!" Rogers said, catching on. I nodded.

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"You say Silvertongue," Rogers thought aloud, "but what about Loki?"

"Loki is just a part of his master plan," I waved my hand dismissively. "Who amongst us would most likely be swayed by Loki?" I held up the blue hankie.

"Raven," Rogers replied.

"Correct. Loki's just his mouthpiece, his pawn, and his performer, another piece in his game. If Raven is right, Silvertongue exudes some sort of mind control, or something close to it. He's aptly named."

"So you're saying that Loki might be possessed? Like Hawkeye and Selvig?"

"Right again," I nodded. "I don't know this for sure, but it's what Raven believes, and she's closer to them than anyone."

"And you trust her?" Rogers asked skeptically.

"With my life," was my instant reply. Silence fell between us as we contemplated this new data. I bit my lower lip as I continued to think. "I think we've seen that Silvertongue will go to every extreme to be a prima donna, and it's opening night. He's a full-tail diva who hates the human race. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built with his name… plastered… Sonofabitch! Suit up, Cap. We're headed to Stark Tower."

**Raven's POV**

I awoke slowly, every part of my body aching. I felt weak, but most of all hungry. It occurred to me I hadn't eaten in several days. _Raven, you're an idiot. Your stomach is the last thing you need to be thinking about right now. _I opened my eyes, struggling to blink away the dried blood caked around my lashes. As it was my lids felt heavy and the low lamplight in the room hurt my eyes. My head felt like someone had hit it with a hammer, and there was an intense, burning sensation at the base of my neck. It hurt to turn my head, so I simply my chin hang against my chest. My suit fluctuated between sky blue and mild cobalt, and even white in some places. I guess I'd lost a lot of blood. My arms were tied behind me around a metal pole and I was sitting on a burgundy shag rug carpet. My eyes widened. Ignoring the protests from the back of my neck, I looked up. I knew this room. It was in Stark Tower. It was where I had spent my first night here in New York City. It was the same burgundy bedspread, the same mahogany bureau and oriental lamps. I vaguely wondered why I hadn't noticed the stripper pole in the corner during my last visit. The only thing different was the frost giant sitting in the corner.

Loki regarded me curiously, green eyes narrowed with unanswered questions. He was dressed in his finest battle regalia, complete with a flowing green cloak and Asgardian armor, which included his horned battle helmet. I had one of those back home. Not quite as ostentatious, not quite as tall. But still, I had one. Mine was blue. Very appropriate. Loki's ever-present scepter remained clutched faithfully in his hand as he rested in a loveseat across the room from me, his body language unassuming and unthreatening. He tilted his head slightly when we made eye contact. I missed home. I missed the Asgard.

"**It's just unfair!" I sobbed. I was drunk. I was beyond drunk. There wasn't a word for how drunk I was. **

"**Unfair?" Loki asked quizzically. "You're hardly one to speak of unfair." I looked up into my brother and best friend's face, tears glittering on my cheeks.**

"**What do you mean?" I asked weakly. Loki narrowed his beautiful green eyes slightly, tipping his head close to mine. Electricity coursed through my body as I fixated myself on his warm pink lips.**

"**Nothing," he said dismissively. I whimpered. "Raven, have you been drinking?"**

"I know you," said the present-day Loki sitting across the room from me. He got to his feet and walked closer toward me, eyes narrowed as he thought. "I know who you are. But at the same time, I don't."

"**Do you love my brother?"**

"**Yes!" I moaned, pushing away from Loki's chest so that I could look at him in the eyes.**

I stayed silent, watching the Asgardian prince come closer and closer. He knelt in front of me, vibrantly green eyes piercing my blue ones.

**Loki looked away, tears glistening in those green eyes I so loved. **

"You're… you're Raven," Loki whispered quietly, reaching out to touch my face. He had laid his scepter down not to far away. If I could just reach it…

"**But not as much as I love you!"**

I kicked out with my legs as soon as I could feel Loki's hot breath on my face. He'd been trying to kiss me. I sent him tumbling backward and through the plaster wall, caught entirely unaware by my action. He might have seemed normal, but I knew better. As long as Silvertongue lived, Loki would be ensnared by his spell. I flattened myself on the ground, reaching for his staff with my feet. My toes felt the gold scepter and I jerked it toward myself hastily. As soon as it touched my body, raw energy coursed through my cells and my suit darkened to a deep navy color. The fatigue and gloominess in my body evaporated as the scepter's energy fueled the few sapphires that still remained, and I ripped free of the rope fetters Silvertongue had secured as easily as if it was a rubber band. I scrambled forward, seizing Loki's scepter, but a large boot came down on my hand before I could put it to good use. I looked up into the face of Mik- Silvertongue. I would never again call him by his human name, for he was no longer human. The incident with Coulson's master weapon had revealed what he truly was: a glistening titanium skeleton with glowing red eyes. A few scraps of skin still clung to his metal bones, but he was, for the most part, robotic in appearance.

"Going somewhere?" he snarled, cracking several bones in my hand with his weight. I winced.

"You look gorgeous!" I spat back sarcastically. Silvertongue laughed, a deep, guttural, mechanic sound.

"This is the look of progress!" he sneered. "An ideal being, free of the restraint of a normal human body." Without warning, Silvertongue's foot collided with my face. Pain erupted in my nose and my free hand shot to it; it felt broken.

"Didn't you ever learn manners? You're not supposed to hit girls!" I said icily.

"I haven't hit you!" Silvertongue protested. "Not in the literal sense of the word!" I felt hard, metallic fingers seize the skin of my back and Silvertongue tossed me across the burgundy room as if I was a pillow.

"_Slaka a_!" I cried out, using a word from my home planet's language to strengthen the worth of my power. I caught myself before I hit the wall with a cushion of air and landed gently, eyeing Silvertongue reproachfully. "How much longer will you insist on hurting me?" I shrieked. "You brought me here for a reason! What was it?" Silvertongue smiled cruelly.

"For Loki of course. He's always been quite devoted to me. I wish I could say the same about you." I narrowed my eyes.

"What do you mean, 'for Loki?'" I demanded. Silvertongue grinned malevolently.

"To solidify his allegiance to me. You see, if you die, there is still doubt. There is a glimmer of hope that you still live. But if _he _kills you, slowly, intimately, and in the most painful way I can concoct, then there will be none of that. He will be destroyed inside. And that's when I will come to him as a friend, as a balm, as a bandage to control his bleeding. What choice will he have but to follow me? I will be his sole companion after he murders a daughter of Odin. He'll never be allowed back to Asgard after that. And you'll be gone, out of the way. The realms will be mine for the taking. It's beautifully simple."

"You are mad!" I breathed, raising my hands, arms glittering. "You cannot believe your dream can actually come true!"

"Why not?" Silvertongue questioned with a shrug. "Earth has not given us much trouble. Your strongest response has been crushed!"

"Not. Yet!" I hissed, arms beginning to glow.

"What remains?" Silvertongue asked with a smirk.

"You forgot one thing. The Avengers are a team. We never leave a man behind. And _I_ am an Avenger!" With a flick of my wrist I threw Silvertongue through the wall of Stark Tower, sending him plummeting through the unfinished and empty elevator shaft. I dove after him. The war for earth had begun.


	18. Murder City

Chapter 18 – Murder City

**Tony Stark's POV**

I alighted upon my Ironman landing pad at Stark Tower gently, watching Loki walk back inside of my home cockily. This was trespassing in the fullest extent of the word, I thought, smirking to myself. As soon as my feet were free of the glistening red boots I stepped inside, heading straight for my personal and well-stocked supply of alcohol.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity!" Loki scoffed. I grimaced. I really didn't know what Raven saw in him.

"Actually, I was planning to threaten to you," I stated blandly. Loki laughed darkly. Maybe he'd taken regular showers before Silvertongue had taken control of his mind or something.

"You should have left your armor on for that!" he told me as I reached the bar.

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got that blue glow stick of destiny there, though. Would you like a drink?" Loki glanced between me and his blinky staff, unsure what to make of my quirky attitude. I poured myself glass of Scotch.

"Stalling me won't change anything…" Loki warned.

"No, no, no!" I protested. Maybe Raven liked guys who wouldn't listen to a damn thing anyone else said. That would hold true for why she'd dated me. "Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one." Underneath the protection off the counter, I slipped on a small metal bracelet.

"The Chitauri are coming!" the grease-ball informed me, dark eyes wary. "What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers!" I said pleasantly, taking a long gulp of alcohol. Loki's eyes narrowed. "It's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes and all that!"

"Yes I've met them," Loki replied. Maybe Raven admired his height. I just couldn't figure it out.

"Yeah, it took us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a headcount here. Your brother, the demigod," I smirked as Loki's expression contorted into one of absolute loathing. "A super soldier, a living legend who kinda lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger management issues. A couple of master assassins. A woman who can control fire, wind, water and… What's the fourth element again?"

"Earth is what you're trying to think of," Loki supplied.

"Yes, earth, thank you," I agreed, finishing the Scotch with another gulp. "And you and your little metal man have managed to piss off every one of us!"

"That was the plan," Loki muttered, still unsure of my intentions. I walked out from behind the bar.

"Your plan? Or someone else's?" I questioned, casting a glance in Loki's direction. His eyes narrowed. "Anyway, not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army!" Loki protested, grip on his scepter tightening.

"We have a Hulk!" I countered, glaring straight into his soulless eyes.

"I thought the beast had wandered off!" Loki smirked.

"You're missing the point!" I interrupted loudly, now mere inches from Loki's face. "There's no throne, there is no version of this where you'll come out on top! Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you two. Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damn well sure we will avenge it! And you can tell that to your boss. The Silvertongue." Loki raised a hand offensively as if to slap me and I tensed but didn't back down, waiting for him to make the first move. We remained motionless for several edgy moments, and then a grin spread across Loki's face. He laughed quietly in a way that made me suspect he was up to something. But who was I kidding. Loki was always up to something.

"How will your friends have time for me," he asked deviously, raising his scepter, "if they're busy fighting you?" I barely moved as the tip of his little magic stick tinked off of the arc reactor. Confusion washed over Loki's pale face. He tried again with the same result. "This usually works…" he stated.

"Hmm, yeah, performance issues. Happens to one in five men," I sighed. "No wonder Raven cheated on you." You know that moment when you instantly feel like you've made a bad decision? Well, I suddenly got that feeling as Loki's hand shot up to clench around my throat.

"You will all fall before me!" Loki bellowed, and before his words could even register I found myself plummeting through a glass window and into the open air.

"Jarvis!" I cried out. "Now would be a good time!" I smiled as I felt my suit wrap around my calves, folding around my thighs, torso, arms, and head in sequence. I turned my thrusters on mere inches before I hit the ground and shot back up, quickly regaining altitude. I found Loki right where I left him.

"Oh, yeah! And there's one other person you pissed off! His name is Phil!" Loki tumbled backward with a bolt of blue energy in his chest, smashing through my lovely little bar. I soared away. I had an army to stop.

**Raven Carter's POV**

Pepper had told me that she and Tony had bickered about installing an electromagnetic elevator on the backside of the building. She, as usual, had won out, playing the girlfriend card over Tony's, well, Tony Stark card. The lift ran adjacent to the regular elevator and would be used as a cargo transport system for deliveries too massive to fit in the man carrying elevator. This shaft, I learned, directly flanked the burgundy room, and as the wind I'd called to my presence threw Silvertongue through the plaster wall and into the temporarily abandoned project, I was intensely relieved that Pepper had felt some need to install a second elevator. I dove after my enemy through the hole he had created, sapphires emitting a vibrant neon blue glow in the darkened tunnel. Silvertongue had caught himself on one of the several pipes running vertically in the shaft and looked upward at me with glowing red eyes. His metallic jaws opened in a furious roar, and a piece of metal ripped itself free from the wall and soared directly at my throat. I evaded it narrowly, the jagged, shredded edge grazing my cheekbone. I somersaulted in the air and used the momentum to throw myself at the villain, dodging this way and that as shards and scraps of metal flew at me from every direction. I reached out with my hands and seized Silvertongue's titanium ribs through his black cotton t-shirt and ripped him away from the wall; but I hadn't anticipated the intense weight of a titanium skeleton and I plummeted, losing altitude rapidly. An inflexible, firm fist collided with my chin and caused my ears to ring but I held on, my forearms catching on fire as sparks landed on them. Silvertongue screamed, flailing wildly against the intense heat as a drop of molten titanium oozed from his chest. I felt a pipe snake around my waist and it wrenched me away, holding me suspended in the air as Silvertongue continued to fall. The pipe began to twist and writhe, carrying me with its frantic movements. I was bashed to and fro in the claustrophobic shaft as the pipe hurled me against the walls. I was unable to get my bearings. Every time I pulled on my powers I would be smashed against the wall. I had to get out of this snare.

My body collided with the side of the elevator shaft and I clung on with all my might, and the pipe found it couldn't rip me away on the first attempt. I could feel it snarl as it tried again and again, and each time my hold grew a little weaker. _Think, Raven! Think! It's going to kill you!_ I looked around desperately, finally spying a small sign that read 'coolant' plastered onto a lower section of the tube. Perfect. I allowed the damned thing to tear me away from my perch and released a bout of sapphire energy into the pipe. The portion wrapped around my waist froze, literally. It tightened and ceased to move any further as the liquid inside turned to ice and I slipped out before it could synch firmly around my body. I flew into the air once more, gasping for breath. A ringing metallic sound reminded me my task was not yet finished as a steal beam collided with the frozen piping and I dove, darkening my suit so that I could remain hidden for a longer amount of time.

We'd reached the bottom of the shaft now. The car was in the station and Silvertongue was poised on top of it, metallic expression bent into a rage filled snarl. He was giving the battle everything he had; enormous pieces of metal rained all around me, pinged off the walls, and collapsed from above. I deflected the majority of debris with an air shield, knocking the larger bits away so that I wouldn't be seriously maimed before I could reach him. I landed on the roof of the elevator car and sent a kick straight into Silvertongue's chest. He stumbled backwards, and then responded by swinging a steel pipe into my face. I tripped, a hand flying to my temple as blood leaked down my cheek. A second pipe jabbed into my stomach and a third took out my knees; I fell to the ground with a short cry. I felt Silvertongue leap toward me, a sharpened knife glistening in his hand, a malevolent roar ripping from his throat. I rolled aside at the last instant, his knife becoming impaled in the roof of the car. I flipped to my feet and leapt onto his back, catching myself on fire once again. Silvertongue screamed as the heat from my body gushed over his, alighting his clothing and causing his metal body parts to whine and sing in protest. He flailed wildly in an attempt to throw me aside but I clung on, hastily tearing wires and flimsy parts of his body out and flinging them aside. I felt two hands dig into my shoulders and then I was flying through the air, colliding with and soaring through the wall of the shaft, and into the lobby of Stark Tower.

I landed in front of dozens of terrified civilians who all looked at me as if I was an alien. Which, I suppose, I was.

"Is that the Human Torch?" someone from the crowd shrieked. I looked down at my hands; they were still ablaze with artificial fire. I quickly put myself out, revealing my gender. "Who is that?" "Is she a super?" "Is she going to hurt us?" I looked down at my periwinkle blue suit, energy suddenly depleted. What was the point? I wasn't strong enough. Not strong enough to defeat the Silvertongue. I hung my head. Who was I kidding? I wasn't a hero. Obviously the rest of the Avengers didn't think so either; else they would have been there by now. My team had abandoned me, and my old team was trying to kill me. There was a reason Gians strayed away from personal attachment; in the end, it would only come back to kick you in the ass.

"Kneel!" shrieked a horrendous voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard and a forty year old truck backfiring all at the same time. I heard civilians screaming in terror. "I said kneel!" the voice bellowed again and the ground shook, sending people tumbling to the beige tile floor. "That's better!" the voice continued, thick Russian accent making Silvertongue even more difficult to understand. Locks in the front and only doors of the lobby clicked shut, commanded by Silvertongue to do so. I had landed on my ass, and my tailbone was crying in agony. My legs were extended straight in front of me and my back was slumped, my head hanging as low as I felt. I could hear Silvertongue's metal feet clicking on the ground as he paced slowly through his subordinate crowd, breath coming in ragged gasps. "You pathetic humans!" he sneered. "You insolent, idiotic race! Look at me! All of you! Look at me!" My eyes turned upward. Silvertongue had paused in the middle of the room and was looking around, metal skeleton and organs fully exposed because of my fire attack. Civilians cowered in the corners of the room and along the walls, some crying, some whimpering, some covering their families in an effort to defend them. They had all gathered on the far end of the room, away from the broken elevator shaft and me; apparently they thought I was a threat, too. Great. Another race that would soon add me to their most wanted list. "What do you see?" Silvertongue demanded, spreading his titanium arms wide. Several women covered their eyes in fear. "What do you see?" he asked again. "The peak. The unobtainable human being, obtained!" he answered his own question, turning so that we could admire his glistening metal body. "Devoid of illness and fatigue, no need for sustenance." I felt a gentle tug on my arm. I looked down in surprise to find a little girl hiding behind my back, tears dripping down her cheeks. I held a finger up to my lips, for the first time feeling the emotion of fear instead of anger. I pushed her behind me, retuning my attention to Silvertongue once more. This little human had just complicated things incredibly. "Once, I was a human just like you," the villain continued. "But then I perfected my existence. I changed my being into the pinnacle form. Metals. They allow you to be so much more. But alas, my philosophy and I were thrown out, cast away into the cold snows of Siberia. So no longer am I a human, for I have risen above you meager beings. You may call me mad, but I am only a product of human hate. And now, you will pay for your crimes. You will pay for the sin of hate. But first, avert your eyes to your would-be savior." The subjugated crowd all turned their terrified faces in my direction, as did Silvertongue. A vicious sneer remained plastered to his face as he looked at me, red eyes blazing. "This is the look of defeat. Of weakness. Look well upon this fallen hero, humans. For this shall be your fate if you attempt to challenge my rule." As Silvertongue had been speaking he'd approached me and was now standing within an arm's length. "Funny," he said low enough for only me to hear as cogs and gears rotated in his arm, extending the titanium bones so that his fingers wrapped around my throat, my airway bottlenecked. "I would have thought your end would have been more noble. So long, Raven Merida Carter!" Suddenly, a high-pitched whine echoed down the open elevator shaft followed by the sound of things breaking. My eyes widened. I knew that sound.

"I would rather die than bow to you!" shouted a young woman in the crowd, leaping to her feet, green eyes defiant. Silvertongue rotated his head over his shoulder. I made my move; my feet jammed into Silvertongue's exposed ribcage, digging into the cluster of metal organs beneath, ripping and tearing his innards apart. The enormous android howled in pain and electricity jolted through my body from his and he dropped me. I landed on the ground on my back and swung my legs into the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground as he writhed and spasmed, struggling to get hold of his mechanical systems. I scooped up the little girl who had been using me as a shield and blew the front doors of Stark Tower open with a gust of wind, breaking the metal locks Silvertongue had secured right off the frames.

"Go! Go! Get out of here and head underground!" I shouted. "Stay off the streets!" A terrified man raced up to me and accepted the small child from my arms, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Thank you, thank you, you saved her! You saved my Anneliese! You saved us all!"

"Go!" I cried, pushing him desperately toward the door. "Get away from here! Keep her –" I never finished my sentence. An enormous metal beam collided with the back of my head, vibrations echoing around the demolished room. I tumbled forward into a puddle of glass shards, unable to see straight. As I struggled to stand the beam hit me again, this time in the middle of my back, flattening me to the ground once more. I coughed, blood spurting from my throat. Silvertongue's hands dug into my back and he rolled me over, bringing his face mere inches from mine.

"You cannot subdue me!" he bellowed, sparks flying into my face from a broken plug somewhere in his brain.

"Don't have to," I stated. "I was just gonna defeat you." A jagged point of rock erupted through the floor of Stark Tower, spearing Silvertongue straight through his upper thigh. He howled in agony as I wriggled free of his grasp and jumped into the air, zooming into the open doors of the cargo elevator. "Catch me if you can," I challenged over my shoulder as the murderous villain ripped himself free, roaring like an angry lion. I punched the highest number button and the doors closed. I shot upward, leaving the Silvertongue in the lobby, temporarily stalled while I tried to figure out a plan.


	19. Bat Out of Hell

Chapter 19 – Bat Out of Hell

**Thor's POV**

I landed on the roof of possibly the most ostentatious building I had ever seen, Mjolnir gripped tightly in my hand.

"Loki!" I bellowed, spotting my brother exiting Stark Tower as the Chitauri began to flow freely through the newly opened portal. "Turn off the Tesseract or I will destroy it!" I jumped down to the glass walkway where Loki was waiting, his face twisted into a hateful expression of rage.

"You can't!" he shouted back as his Asgardian armor appeared over his lean body. I noticed a large burn mark in the middle of his torso; Stark had been here before me. "There's no stopping it!" A feral growl escaped my throat. I would not be taking 'no' for an answer.

"Loki! Shut it down!"

"No, Thor!" Loki shrieked, silencing me with a wave of his arm. "There is only the war!" Without warning, the end of Loki's scepter collided with my face, knocking me back a few steps. Anger surged into Mjolnir from my hand and I raised my hammer. I was done trying to use sentimentality on him; he was beyond anything words could do for him.

"So be it!" I snarled in return, tensing for a fistfight. With a wild war cry, Loki sprang toward me, scepter raised. I met the staff with Mjolnir and threw my brother across the roof of the tower, lunging after him as if I was a lion. The heel of his hand collided with my chin and I tripped back, taken off guard. Loki jumped to his feet and pointed his scepter at my chest; when the blinding blue Tesseract energy flashed I swung Mjolnir to deflect it. Loki tried again with the same result. I swung Mjolnir and it collided with Loki's ribs. He tumbled backward, groaning. I kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling away in pain. I chased after him, hands seizing the straps of his armor; I lifted him high above my head and then threw him down, after which he made no move to stand. Loki perhaps was far cleverer than I would ever be, but I had always been stronger. I hauled him to his feet and wrapped a hand around his throat.

"Look at this!" I bellowed. "Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?"

"It's too late!" Loki shouted back, eyes brimming with fury. "I can't stop it!"

"No!" I protested, leaning close to my brother. "We can! Together!" For a moment I thought I had him. His expression softened and he smiled lightly, a tear leaking out of his paled, sickly bluish green eyes.

"Sentiment!" he scoffed, and I fell.

**Raven Carter's POV**

I sank to the floor of the cargo elevator, shaking in pain, fear, and anxiety. Splinters of metal stuck out from various places in my skin. The slash on the back of my neck had reopened, and my hot blue blood had coated my hair. I was busy tearing the largest pieces of shrapnel from my body as the elevator rocketed upward, hastily trying to plan what to do next. Leaving in the elevator would buy me two minutes at most, probably less. I was in no shape to continue fighting. I wanted to lie down on the cool tile floor of the lift and just go to sleep. It would be so much simpler than this – so much easier than fighting this futile fight. I tipped my head back against the wall and hugged myself tightly. I missed Asgard terribly. I missed my youth. I was suddenly nostalgic for my home planet. Regrets poured through my mind. Why had I been so foolish? Why had I ever left Gias? I was certain that this world of pain would not exist there. I covered my face in my bloodstained hands, on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I wasn't a soldier. I wasn't the one to march headfirst into battle. I was the puppet master, the one who pulled the strings behind the scenes. But somehow, my role had been reversed; _this_ puppet master was just another marionette. 

**Suddenly I wasn't there anymore. I saw the faces of my comrades swimming before me; Thor, my brother, Steve Rogers, the dutiful one, Natasha, the spy, Bruce, the one who had been there, Hawkeye, the archer, and Tony, my best friend. **

"**There was an idea," I heard Nick Fury's voice say, "to bring together a group of remarkable people."**

"**You lack conviction!" Coulson stated as he slowly passed away.**

"**You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing over everybody else, we disagreed." "What's the matter, scared of a little lightning?" "Thor!" "I have my own love to protect." "Everything special about you, Rogers, comes in a bottle!" "A mindless beast makes play he is still a man!" "That man is playing Gallaga!" "A warm light for all mankind to share." "Steve, tell me none of this seems a little funky to you?" "What Loki's got is a stick of dynamite." "And I guess you're gonna light the fuse?"**

"No." My eyes opened as the elevator doors dinged open and the hallucinations vanished. "I am." I exploded from the elevator, suit coursing with dark navy blue energy. Silvertongue's ride was just arriving in the station. I dove toward him, seizing his naked collarbones and throwing him down the hall as easily as if he was a ragdoll. I dove after him shooting blasts of fire from my palms, knocking him back several feet with each blow. I flattened him against the wall and lit my fists, beginning to pound his head with infernally hot punches. He never got a chance to breathe; I beat him back, my suit glowing with a near blinding luminosity. Silvertongue's head lolled to the side as he struggled for consciousness as I once again seized his collarbones and drug him back to the elevator. Titanium was paramagnetic, meaning that it would become magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field. My goal was the elevator – it ran off of electromagnets. I pulled the villain with me and landed a final kick into his head before dragging him into the elevator. He moaned, struggling to recalibrate his electronic senses. I threw him aside and bashed a hole through the ceiling of the car after clicking the button that would send us to the basement.

"JARVIS!" I bellowed. "Send us down as fast as possible!"

"Ma'am, that sort of speed will destroy the elevator and all life forms in it."

"Just do it!" I shouted, sending a ball of fire down into Silvertongue's open mouth as he tried to protest.

"Very well," Jarvis agreed and the doors slammed shut. As the elevator began to plummet Silvertongue soared out from beneath me and adhered to the wall, his titanium bones held fast to the electromagnetic sidings.

"I command you to release me!" he bellowed. "Stop this!"

"I'm sorry, sir. Override unsuccessful," Jarvis' voice informed Silvertongue. The metal villain began to flail wildly – or, as much as he could – screaming in Russian and cursing my name.

"Ma'am," Jarvis started to say as my feet lifted off the ground with our speed. "Now might be a good time to exit the pod."

"Right you are, Jarvis!" I agreed and shot upward, making for the hole I'd previously punched in the ceiling. My head and shoulders cleared the hole; but that was all. I screamed as I felt Silvertongue's hand clench around my ankles and I fell out of flight, clinging desperately to the roof of the elevator, half escaped, half trapped. I whimpered as Silvertongue attempted to pull me back into the car.

"If I die, you die, too!" he bellowed, twisting my shin in his vice-like grip. I squealed in pain as he tore my leg apart; it would be a long while before I would be able to use it again.

"Approaching ground floor, ma'am," Jarvis stated. "Collision at this speed puts fatality at ninety-six percent." Panic overwhelmed me. I looked down under my arm but I couldn't maneuver my hand in order to launch a fireball at the Silvertongue. A look of malicious content was present on his face.

"Your Loki will never know peace!" he bellowed. "Now that you've killed yourself and I!"

"Basement I approaching, ma'am. Collision imminent in fifteen seconds."

"He will have no one! No one at all! You'll never get to see his eyes grow green again!"

"Twelve seconds. Nine seconds." Suddenly an idea occurred to me. It was crazy. Insane. It could never work. But it had just enough essence of Tony to it that it just might. "Seven seconds."

With a thunderous crackling sound, the earth around us began to crumble. The walls of the shaft buckled and shredded as thousands of pounds of dirt cascaded into the tunnel. Rocks fell along with the soil and smashed the passageway to pieces. And then the moment of truth – an enormous boulder broke through the siding of the elevator pod. I heard Silvertongue scream, a horrible, fingernails-on-a-chalkboard-like noise and I was free. I rocketed upward, frantically dodging the tumbling rocks and earth. Even if I could control it, there was so much. Earth was by far the hardest element to use; and I was using a damn lot of it. The earth moaned and crackled as I soared up and out of the elevator shaft, crashing into the demolished balcony of Stark Tower where an elegant bar once stood. A keg that was broken was loosely spraying red alcoholic liquid into the air and I half crawled-half sprinted to it, taking an enormous gulp. I wiped my mouth and limped onto the balcony just in time to see Loki stab Thor in the stomach with a wicked looking dagger.


	20. Gonna Make You Sweat

Chapter 20 – Gonna Make You Sweat

**Loki's POV**

I tumbled forward, a sudden headache ripping through my temples. My hands shook violently and I felt as if I was going to vomit. I curled into the fetal position, completely unaware of my surroundings. I heard someone screaming, and it was several seconds before I realized it was me. My eyes burned in agony as I writhed on the ground and I felt cold and hot at the same time. What was happening?

"Loki!" I ignored whatever female was calling to me. My pain was too great.

"_Loki!"_ sneered a cold, iron hard male voice. _"Loki, you must finish what we started!" _

"What do you mean?" I shouted to the voice, hands clawing at my face as the voice forced itself deeper inside my mind.

"_The Chitauri! Lead them!" _

"But I cannot!" I whimpered, tears dripping from my eyes. "You were their director!"

"_I find myself incapable of that position at this time. You must rule in my stead!"_

"How?" I demanded, another anguished cry ripping from my mouth. The voice wound deeper and deeper.

"_Listen to me! I will show you the way to victory! I'm not going anywhere. But first I must find a suitable place to rule you- guide you from…" _I nodded frantically; I would agree to anything to make this agony cease.

"Yes, Silvertongue!"

"_And one more thing!"'_

"Loki!" I felt soft, warm hands touch my shoulder and wrap around the back of my neck, felt fingers tangle in my hair. I opened my eyes into a squint, breathing ragged and a cold sweat coating my face. I knew those eyes. I knew that brown hair.

"_The Sapphire is an enemy! Kill her!" _

**Mikal's POV**

I knew her as an enemy. I sighed contentedly as I settling into a comfortable place in Loki's mind, wrapping around his consciousness and poisoning anything warm and caring with the venom of hate. I hadn't been sure this feat of power would actually work – there was a high chance that the transition between consciousnesses would kill my host - but I was finding it to be very convenient. This type of control was more intense than anything I'd attempted before, and not only could I influence his thoughts but I could now control them. I opened his eyes and saw Raven, that heinous, sly foe who had imprisoned me here several dozen feet underground. I would live, but I would not be free in time to kill Raven myself. I called my scepter to me and jumped after her, blade poised to pierce her weak, emotional heart.

**Raven Carter's POV**

When Loki opened his eyes, I knew there was something wrong. Instead of the emerald green I had expected, they were a harsh, unfeeling gray, the same color as mercury. His skin was icily cold yet he was covered in a thick layer of sweat; and he was talking to himself. Or to something. But one thought circulated around in my mind- I had failed. Somehow the hundreds of tons of rock had not managed to kill the Silvertongue. I felt an anguished sob rising in my throat. Loki's eyes blazed with cold gray fire as he looked at me, the hatred I found there far beyond any I'd ever seen him possess before. My breath hitched in my chest and I couldn't stop the tears that cascaded from my eyes. I had failed in my goal. I had failed him.

"Raven, look out!" I heard Thor cry, right before Loki's arm collided with my stomach and sent me flying at least twelve yards. I didn't even care as I crashed through a glass railing, my head banging off the stone steps as I landed. I could hear Thor shouting in horror, but I could barely move. I lay there, defeated and broken. I could hear Loki's war cry as he leapt toward me, but at this point I welcomed death. He meant to kill me, and I was more than willing to give him that small satisfaction, since it was the only positive thing I could do for him at this point. I squeezed my eyes closed and waited for the searing sensation of a Tesseract weapon being plunged into my chest. I was ready to die.

"No!" Thor's shout shook the very air itself. I heard and felt the heat from a lightning bolt crackle through the air above me and Loki screamed. I remained motionless.

"Raven!" my brother bellowed, leaping to my side. He rolled me into his lap and cradled my head, tears shining in his blue eyes. "Raven, can you hear me?"

"It was pointless!" I muttered as Thor swiped his thumb across my cheek to remove some dirt.

"No!" Thor objected, shaking his head. "No, no Raven it was not!"

"I needed only to kill Silvertongue. One man. I failed."

"You listen to me!" Thor growled, shaking my shoulders roughly. "I don't know what occurred between the Silvertongue, Loki, and yourself, but you can't think of that right now! Look around! The Chitauri are here. They are destroying the human world. _Jane's _world. I swear to you, Raven, that if you help me defend earth until this war's end I will assist in your endeavor to kill the Silvertongue and release our brother! I will follow you to the farthest reaches of the universe if the need arises! But you must help me now. Help us." The whir of chopper blades interrupted Thor's speech, and Natasha and Hawkeye appeared beside Stark Tower piloting a Quinjet. "Friends!" Thor exclaimed waving. "I need a medical detail –" Thor never finished his sentence. A bolt of blue energy erupted from Loki's staff and collided with the wing of the small plane, and Hawkeye was forced to pull the Quinjet back as fire exploded across its surface.

"Mayday!" I heard Natasha bellowing. "We're hit!"

I ripped myself from Thor's grasp and lunged to my feet, sprinting as fast as I could toward the wavering plane. Bolts of blue energy followed in my footsteps as I ran, but these I silenced with a gush of wind in their direction, sending their master plummeting over the edge of the balcony. I pulled air into my arms and jumped, exploding from the ledge of Stark Tower and soaring out over the Quinjet, which was now spinning wildly. I landed on the slippery metal surface and knelt on one knee as I struggled to stabilize myself, squinting in the ferocious wind rushing past my face. I opened my hands, extending my fingers as far as possible, the elements at my disposal. The rapidly spreading fire ceased to burn as I closed one hand into a fist, holding the flames inside. Still, the Quinjet fell. With my other hand I began to direct the winds as Chitauri raced from the portal and swarmed around the falling vessel.

"I need a little help!" I muttered to myself as a Chitauri speeder loomed closer, the soldier onboard brandishing its weapon. The fire in my left hand threatened to overwhelm me; there was too much to control. I held the jet steady as it fell, slowing its descent with gentle, guiding updrafts so that its passengers wouldn't end up like pancakes. The Chitauri grew nearer and a vicious war cry ripped from its mucus-coated jaws. I ducked, squeezing my eyes closed as a brilliant neon purple blade was shoved into my face, the whining sound of a charging weapon accompanying it. I waiting for the burn of their plasma weapons on my face, but instead of hearing myself scream, I was surprised to hear the Chitauri loose an anguished squeal and fall away, an arrow sticking out of his ribs as he tumbled from the air. I looked into the cockpit to see Hawkeye, bow in hand, looking fierce and determined. But I didn't have long to concentrate on him because the Quinjet was now merely several feet from scaring the ground. With my last ounce of power I released the fire in my hand and threw a soft cushion of soil up beneath the small airplane. It was all I could do. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, praying to Odin that I wouldn't the pitched forward and break my neck.

**Hawkeye's POV**

I couldn't believe it. We'd actually survived despite the fact the Quinjet's wing had been blown apart by the Tesseract's energy. It was all thanks to that blue-suited woman who had thrown herself onto our ship and guided it down. How had she done that? I looked at Nat, sitting across from me, aware that my mouth was hanging open. I couldn't speak, only gestured with my thumb over my shoulder. She shrugged.

"Raven Carter controls the elements."

"Got it," I responded, shaking my head. At this point, nothing would surprise me. I grabbed my bow and quiver as Nat flipped a switch that would release Rogers from the cargo area of the demolished jet, jumping out of the shattered glass window and landing on the street. I walked to the rear of the ship to check on Rogers. He was just now crawling out, panting and gasping.

"You call that flying?" he demanded, staggering to his feet with Nat's assistance.

"Sorry, man," I shrugged, also going to his aide. "Loki hit us."

"I'd call that a 'Raven saved my life again' moment, Cap!" said a light female voice. The three of us turned and looked up in the direction of the speaker. The woman in blue who had rescued us was sitting contentedly on the roof of the demolished Quinjet, legs hanging over the side. She had short brown hair and striking blue eyes that almost seemed to emit a cobalt glow, as if some sort of bioluminescence powered them, and a fantastic body. Her suit was impressive, skintight and sleek, ranging from dark navy to periwinkle, and thin veins striped up and around her whole body, coursing with blue fluid. Very interesting.

"Let's not make this a thing, if you don't mind!" Roger's responded, rubbing his head. "I think I've had enough saving for a while."

"Suit yourself!" the woman responded, leaping off the Quinjet gracefully. "I'm Raven Carter," she told me, extending a hand. "Or the Blue Sapphire. Whichever you like."

"Clint Barton. Hawkeye," I stuttered, shaking her hand. Damn, she was nice looking. "I shoot arrows. I have good aim." That was stupid. She flashed me a knowing smile that awakened some sort of sexual longing. After all this was done, we'd have to keep in touch. If you know what I mean.

"I've heard a lot about you. I know." She cast a quick glance at Nat and then went to Rogers to exchange words with him. I turned to Nat, and my goofy grin quickly fell away. I felt my shoulders droop slightly under her poisonous gaze. I tried to say with my eyes that I was sorry; Nat could always see right through me, and she wasn't always appreciative of my intense interest in women. So I did the only thing I could think of. I slicked a hand through my hair, a cheesy grin on my face.

"So you talk about me, huh?" Nat's groan and her eye roll made me instantly regret saying anything at all. She turned away to join Rogers and Carter and I followed like a kicked puppy, tail between my legs, right where it belonged.

"Hawkeye, give Raven an earpiece. She'll need it," Nat commanded. I obliged, not saying anything. Carter thanked me as she slipped the communicator into her ear. I simply stared at the ground.

"Alright, we need a plan!" Rogers prompted. "Any ideas?" We were interrupted by the soft puttering of a motorcycle and we all turned toward it. The new arrival was Dr. Banner, clad in oversized dark jeans and a loose cotton t-shirt. We all watched him apprehensively as he hopped off the bike and made his way toward us, looking disgruntled.

"Well this all looks… Horrible," he commented, kicking a Chitauri helmet aside.

"That's an understatement," Carter responded, and I nodded frantically. I looked around at the sound of a short sigh and immediately stopped at Nat's glare. I looked down once again.

"Hey guys!" Stark's voice said into our earpieces. "I'm bringing the party to you!" I looked up to see the Ironman suit appear around the corner of a skyscraper, an enormous flying… thing in his wake. It roared, sending whole cars flying, its fins ripping apart the adjacent buildings.

"I don't see how that's a party…" I heard Nat say, and this time I nodded with even more enthusiasm than before, looking at her for approval. I sighed as her glare turned even more venomous. I didn't understand women.

"Dr. Banner, now might be a really great time for you to get angry!" Rogers suggested. The brilliant scientist strode away, straight toward the incoming Leviathan.

"That's my secret, Cap'n," he stated, looking over his shoulder. "I'm always angry!" Stark soared over our heads and suddenly, in the place of the short, thin doctor was a roaring green monster, at least twenty feet tall and very, very angry. It reached up as the Leviathan came closer, a feral bellow echoing from its green mouth, and hauled the enormous fish from the sky, plunging its nose into the ground. The metallic flying ship moaned as the Hulk pounded it deeper and deeper into the earth until it could go no further, until its spindly tail flipped over itself. My eyes widened; we were directly beneath it. I lunged toward Carter as Rogers jerked Nat out of the way, tackling her to the ground in an effort to get her away from the colossal metal ship collapsing on top of us. The ground shook as the Leviathan landed, and as the dust cleared we could hear the horrified cries of hundreds of Chitauri soldiers as their flagship crashed and burned. I groaned as large chunks of rubble were slowly lifted from my back.

"Thank you, Clint," said Raven's voice. I shook my head, clearing my vision and jumped a little bit when I discovered that we had landed in such a way that she was lying underneath me. A small gash had appeared on her forehead, and I was startled to see that her blood was blue. "You undoubtedly saved my very life." I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

"No problem," I muttered with a small groan. It was better to be safe when it came to females. "Glad to do it."

"Yes, I'm sure you were." I sighed deeply at the sound of Natasha's voice.

"You can't win, Clint, you can't win!" I scolded myself as Nat hauled me into a standing position and tossed me several feet. I tumbled into something very tall and green. The Hulk. He was panting aggressively and felt tense - ready for battle. Could my luck get any worse? At the sound of a Chitauri scream I pushed away from the monster and fitted an arrow. Raven appeared on my left and Natasha on my right, and beside them Steve Rogers and Thor – who apparently had finally decided to show up. Stark hovered in the center of our circle, thrusters burning loudly. The Hulk released a thunderous roar – a challenge – that shook the buildings themselves, and the Chitauri responded with battle cries of their own. I smiled. This was going to be fun.


	21. Let's Kill Tonight

Chapter 21 – Let's Kill Tonight

**Raven Carter's POV**

"The powers surrounding the cube are impenetrable!" Thor shouted as we, the seven Avengers, backed into each other, tense and nervous as the Chitauri advanced. I threw some nearby fire onto a small group of incoming soldiers and they fell, screaming in pain. Beside me, Hawkeye released an arrow and a Chitauri fell, dead.

"Thor is right!" Tony agreed, blasting another enemy with his arc reactor energy. "We have to concentrate on these guys."

"How are we gonna do this?" Natasha asked, pulling two derringers from her belt.

"As a team!" Rogers shouted, deflecting a plasma shot away from Thor with his red, white, and blue shield.

"I have unfinished business with Loki!" I snarled, stabbing an approaching foe with a stalagmite of rock. I'd shaken off the depression that had plagued me before, and I now knew what had caused it. The Silvertongue had been trying to pry his way into my head, to use me as another one of his tools in his glorious quest for earth. He had been _trying_ to tear me down, for at the point of most emotional instability is when you are most vulnerable to his lies and mind control. I knew that now; he would never get in my head again.

"Yeah? Get in line!" Hawkeye hissed back, picking some dirt off the tip of a gleaming arrow.

"Save it," Rogers argued. "Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him, these things will run wild."

"Holy shit!" Hawkeye exclaimed, and I followed his extended finger with my eyes. At least four more of the giant snake-like ships were swimming through the air, veering off this way and that to run rampant through New York.

"Holy shit is right!" I agreed, eyes going wide.

"Call it, Cap!" Tony shouted.

"Alright, listen up all of you!" Rogers yelled. "Until we can close that portal up we're gonna use containment. Hawkeye, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, Raven, you two have got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or turn it to ash!"

"Wanna give me a lift?" Barton asked, looking between Tony and I.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas," Tony said, wrapping his arms around Hawkeye's well-muscled chest. _Now that,_ I thought as I lifted into the air along with the two gorgeous men to my left, cushions of wind supporting my small body, _would make a hell of a porn film._

"Thor, you bottleneck that portal, see if you can slow them down," Rogers continued. I listened through my earpiece. Rogers might be old fashioned, but he was a damn good leader. "You and me, we stay here on the ground. Keep the fighting here. And Hulk?" I didn't need an earpiece to hear Bruce's growl. "Smash!" I ducked nervously as the giant green Hulk lunged onto a building beside me, ripping several terrified Chitauri right in half.

"Wouldn't wanna be them!" I shouted to Tony and Hawkeye as gleeful laughter filtered out of Tony's suit.

"I _told _him we had a Hulk!" he giggled. I rolled my eyes.

"Well don't get too cocky, we're not through yet."

"Raven," Tony chided, dropping Hawkeye onto the tallest roof we could find. "When have you known me to be anything _but _cocky?"

"Hey, lovebirds, enough chitter-chatter!" Rogers called through my earpiece. "We've got a battle to fight here!"

"You heard the man!" Tony said over his shoulder as he veered away to the left and I to the right, heading straight for a regiment of angry Chitauri. I called on the sapphires in my blood and released an explosion of fire as I neared them, alighting their hovercraft and slaughtering many. I circled around to my post on the perimeter, darting this way and that in order to keep the invading army at bay. I looked up as electricity rocketed into the portal. Thor was clinging to the spear of a tall skyscraper directing Mjolnir toward the wormhole, and the incoming forces were backing up. It was a clever barrier, but Thor couldn't hold them that way forever. I spread my arms wide and began to whisper in ancient Gian, age-old words for an age-old spell. This was hard magic; though, not out of my reach. The air encircling the perimeter began to ripple with heat and I grinned. My spell had worked. I had created an impenetrable wall of air and heat, hundreds of yards high and several feet thick. Anything that attempted to cut through it would be incinerated. I had left an eight-foot space at the base of the wall so that fleeing civilians wouldn't be killed. I swerved out of the air and dove onto the roof of a nearby church. I grit my teeth, drawing a diamond-edged knife from its sheath in my boot, closed my eyes and slit my wrist open. Sapphires poured from my veins and into a small pile where they congealed into a brightly glowing mass. The air barrier wavered but didn't fall. I wrapped a hand around my arm and staggered back into the air to find the next site for a sapphire deposit. These would keep the wall strong and functioning even if I wasn't concentrated on it. The solution wasn't ideal, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances. I landed once more and let myself bleed once again. The wall rumbled hungrily; I hoped that by the time I had finished here I'd still have the strength to continue.

"Tony!" I shouted into the earpiece after all of the deposits had been made. My suit was pale white and thirsty for energy. "Tony, don't touch the perimeter! It'll melt your suit!"

"Yeah I just figured that out," he responded. "I just cremated a couple of our intergalactic buds."

"Good," I responded. "You got that, guys?"

"Beware the perimeter, yeah," said Rogers' voice. "Thanks, Raven."

"Don't mention it, Cap," I called back, staggering toward the center of the enclosure to help Natasha and Steve. Several hovercrafts zoomed over my head. "You've got three comin' in hot!" Suddenly, an enormous green monster leapt off of a nearby building and landed on top of the planes, crushing them beneath his weight.

"Never mind!" I shouted with a laugh. "Hulk smashed 'em!"

"Good, cuz we're getting pummeled down here!" Steve shouted back. I picked up the pace, limping as black circles swam in front of my vision. I didn't know what help I could be, especially with my depleted power, but if Natasha could fight in this war with nothing special, so could I. I entered the fray from behind enemy lines, throwing a large piece of rubble into the back of a Chitauri soldier. He fell to the ground with a squeal and his partner turned to face me, weapon blazing with purple energy. I somersaulted out of the way of his shot and lunged, hands clasping around the weapon's barrel. He shrieked furiously as I wrenched it from his hands and used it to send a plasma missile straight through his grotesque body. Keeping the gun with me, I scrambled over their bunker and into the clearing where Natasha was pinned by a massive Chitauri general. She was strong, but the alien was stronger, and he was slowly bringing a knife closer and closer to her temple. I raised the gun and fired, knocking him away from my friend easily. I extended a hand to Natasha, which she took in order to get to her feet.

"This won't mean a damn thing unless we get that portal closed!" she shouted to me as we stood back to back, defending each other from the seemingly endless throngs of Chitauri.

"Our biggest guns can't touch it!" Rogers said though our earpieces.

"Well, maybe it's not about guns!" I shouted back as I used my diamond-studded knife, still stained with blue blood, to hack down several Chitaurian foes.

"You're not going alone," Natasha exclaimed as she took down the final Chitauri in close proximity to us. She leaned back against a demolished taxi, panting.

"I can't fly us both," I stated, holding out my pale blue forearms to indicate my exhausted power sources.

"I'll get my own ride, then," Natasha shrugged. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I pointed directly at her, grinning.

"I like you!" I laughed for the second time during which I'd known her, walking away to wait.

"I'll give you a boost," Steve offered, backing up. "If you're sure about this…"

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Natasha responded, looking upward as several Chitauri speeders approached. Taking a running leap, the Black Widow leapt first onto a car and then onto Steve's gleaming shield. He forced her into the air as I propelled her slightly upward with a short gust and then leapt into the air myself, hastily soaring onto the hover board with her. I landed directly behind the gunman Chitauri and sliced his tether with my knife. He squealed and Natasha seized his ankle, hauling him off to make room for her to climb aboard. Chitauri rushed toward us as I pulled Natasha to her feet and we went to work. I hit one with a blast of fire in its chest and sent it tumbling away as Natasha flipped over top the other and ripped its internal machinery out. A hulking admiral lunged toward us, plasma shotgun singing. I sent a fiery missile into his chest but it didn't seem to slow him down one bit. I felt Natasha yank me out of the way as his gun fired, singeing left side. That was close. Natasha hurled two metal weapons that looked like small stars into its chest. Yet it barely flinched. I winced as the alien backhanded Natasha across the face and sent her tumbling into me. I caught her right before she tumbled off the back of the speeder, both of us frazzled.

"New plan," I muttered. "Let's work together."

"Yeah, good thinking!" she agreed. "Duck!" I released her as the Chitauri swung what appeared to be an electrified whip over our heads. Where was he getting all of these weapons? Natasha scrambled up the speeder on the left and I took the right, consistently launching tiny flames in his direction. The Chitauri turned his attention to me, shrieking in fury, brandishing his whip and shotgun. I flattened myself against the speeder as he fired his weapon at me, wincing as the heat grazed my back. The wind resistance here hanging on the outer rim of the plane was intense, and I couldn't afford to waste energy fighting it back. I heard the Chitauri fire again, but this time not at me, and it was then I made my move. I lunged over the edge of the speeder and propelled myself onto his back, clinging desperately to his shoulders and neck. The smell wafting off of the creature was intensely rank and made me feel like gagging, but seeing Natasha hanging on for her life from a stray wire pushed such thoughts from my mind. The Chitauri cracked his whip over his own back, striking me in the motion, and I seized it in one hand, temporarily ignoring the horrible shocks coursing through my body. I wrapped the weapon around his neck several times and then let go, falling backward onto the floor of the speeder with a grunt. The admiral shook violently until he released the handle of the whip and the weapon fell ineffective, the power cut off. Interesting. You had to be holding the handle for it to work.

I jumped toward the Chitauri, wrapping the whip around my arm and yanking him toward the edge of the speeder where Natasha clung desperately. Every muscle in my body straining, I flipped the handle of the whip over the side.

"Natasha!" I gasped as the Chitauri seized my hair and ripped me away. "Take this!" He threw me to the ground and proceeded to kick me violently, shrieking and carrying on like a furious animal. He raised his gun to unload a full blast of plasma into my face, but it never came. The whip around his neck lit up with energy and he howled, eventually tumbling to the ground, dead. I sat up, head ringing.

"This works well," Natasha stated, looking at the whip cheerfully. I nodded as she helped me to my feet.

"Sure does," I agreed. We both looked at each other evenly, and then something unprecedented happened; Natasha grinned. A genuine, honest-to-goodness white-toothed grin. I'd seen some startling things in my life on Asgard, but I'd never been so surprised in my life. We turned in unison and marched into the cockpit. Natasha took control of the pilot and I faced the rear, taking up a Chitaurian gun. Bring it on, 'army.'


	22. Blood on the Dance Floor

Chapter 22 – Blood on the Dance Floor

**Raven Carter's POV**

I jumped as a ray of plasma energy exploded against the right flank of the speeder.

"What hit us?" Natasha called over her shoulder. I scanned the demolished streets for our aggressor, and narrowed my eyes once I found him.

"Loki," I muttered, digging deep within to access my power.

"Oh, him," Nat groaned, swerving through the air frantically.

"Don't worry," I replied. "I know just what to do with him. Fly us over water!" I clung on tightly as Natasha banked to the left, the hovercraft choking at the sudden change of direction. We lost altitude rapidly, yet somehow managed to stay in the air; Loki followed close behind, his turn even less successful than ours.

"These speeders can't bank worth a damn!" I cried into my microphone. "Tony, find a tight corner and hug the curve!"

"I will roger that," Tony replied, and that was the last I heard across the link until Tony thanked me for the excellent advice.

"Nat, what are you doing?" Hawkeye asked, voice incredulous, as we rounded a final turn and rocketed toward Stark Tower. He was poised on a nearby roof, a lone silhouette against the pale blue sky with a wicked looking bow in hand.

"It's Loki!" Natasha cried as our speeder took a devastating blow to the aft engine. Smoke poured from the motor and I hastily attempted to staunch any burning that might be consuming our vehicle.

"Nat, put her over that fountain!" I shouted, pointing over the Black Widow's shoulder toward a spout of water erupting into a shallow pool. "Just trust me! After we pass it, Hawkeye, you'll have a clear shot." Surprisingly, Natasha listened. We soared low over the mist, Loki right on our tail. We, two extraterrestrial beings in an average world, made eye contact, and a sly smile spread across my face. By the time he realized what I was playing at, it was too late. I threw up an enormous gust of water, drenching not only the underside of Loki's hovercraft but the frost giant who piloted it.

"**I'm scared of water because my magic won't work when I'm wet!" Loki exclaimed frustrated. I shook my head, laughing. **

"**Even if it only covered your knees?"**

"**Even then," Loki frowned deeply. "I do not like water."**

Loki wavered in midflight, panic washing away the hard, menacing façade as his hovercraft wobbled beneath him. His Asgardian armor flickered on and off, eventually fading altogether to reveal the simple garments beneath. He flew hastily to the control panel, fighting to keep his ship in the air.

"Water nullifies his power. Take your shot," I muttered to Hawkeye.

"Gladly," came his response. I squeezed my eyes closed and felt my head drop. The twang of a bow crackled through my earpiece and I could sense, through disturbances in the sapphires, Hawkeye's arrow whizzing toward its target. Natasha put a hand on my shoulder, and for once, I hated my gift. As much as I tried, I couldn't stop the feel of the air currents, disturbed by the arrow hurtling through it toward Loki's eye socket, from rebounding off my face, from resonating through my ears. Despite my closed eyes, despite my covered ears, I could see and hear it all very clearly. What a beautiful curse is this; I wouldn't have to watch my Loki die, yet I could still witness his last moments very sensually and intimately as perceived by my power. A terrible privilege. We had always promised that we'd be there for each other in the end; I guess this was close enough.

Suddenly, a violent roar shook the air and my eyes flew open; rocketing through the air toward Loki was Bruce, an enormous green bullet of coiled up anger. If the arrow, which was merely half a centimeter in diameter, had disturbed my sapphires you can be sure as hell that they made me aware of the Hulk leaping through the air. He seized Loki right before Hawkeye's arrow would have made contact with his skull and jerked him off the hovercraft with one strong green hand. The pair of them smashed through a tall glass window in the Stark penthouse as the speeder erupted into flames. Natasha wrenched our own speeder up and we rapidly gained altitude; however, the damaged motor was taking its toll on our ascent.

"Hey Nat!" I called, eyes widening as it began to cough and sputter. "Are we there yet?" My tone indicated that we were in serious trouble.

"Why, you car sick?" she grimaced.

"We'll have to jump for it!" I shouted, giving up on sparking life into the engine and crawling into the cockpit with Natasha. "Three… Two… JUMP!" The Black Widow and I both leapt from the failing hovercraft in unison, Natasha tucking into a tight ball, and me, always the unorthodox one, with legs and arms flailing wildly. We both crashed onto the beige gravel that covered the roof of Stark Tower with a bump and a crash. I came around first, rubbing my head in exhaustion. I was getting too old for this.

"Natasha," I muttered, crawling toward my downed partner with concern. She was coughing up blood and for the first time since I'd known her she looked distressed.

"I'm fine!" she snapped, waving me off. "We need to close the portal." I looked around, thinking, as I helped Nat to her feet.

"I think I may just have our man," I told her. She looked at me with confusion, until I pointed. We both locked eyes with a very sheepish Erik Selvig, who was standing by the portal looking ashamed.

"Doctor!" Natasha exclaimed, striding toward him, but he only had eyes for me. I had met him, vaguely, last year in New Mexico when Sif and the Warriors Three had snuck me out of prison, and he knew I was more-or-less of Asgard. He was half the man I had met in the desert; his eyes had sunken in, a rough, unclean beard covered his face, and his clothes reeked of sweat and blood. His dilapidated physical state made me think of Loki; beings weren't meant to have more than one consciousness in their minds at once, and it took its toll.

"Doctor Selvig," I greeted, nodding my head.

"Loki's scepter, the energy… You can't fight the Tesseract! You can't protect against yourself!" When Selvig spoke his voice was shaky and bashful, and what little heart I had went out to him. It was sad enough to see a partially wicked man fall prey to the empirical whims of a deranged madman, but Selvig had been innocent, merely caught in the line of fire.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know what you were doing," I said quietly. We stood in silence for several moments, Selvig's head low as he studied his shoes in shame while Natasha and I examined the device that controlled and activated the portal. I reached out a hand to touch the cube, but received a nasty electric shock as I ran into the barrier of energy. I swore loudly and stuck my fingers in my mouth to help calm the burning sensation. I had to admire Dr. Selvig's work; earlier, I had believed the Helicarrier to be the single most impressive engineering feat I'd ever seen, but this beat all. With the Bifrost gone, destroyed by Thor's mighty hammer, interdimensional travel had become nearly impossible. Now, this device, built by a human no less, was allowing a whole army to cross galaxies. Fascinating.

"Well, actually I think I did!" We both turned at the sound of Selvig's voice. An empowered light had come into his eyes, as if he'd reached some epiphany. "I built in a safety to cut the power. A fail-safe."

"Loki's scepter!" I shouted, clapping a hand to my forehead as the realization. Of course! The only thing strong enough to penetrate the Tesseract was itself.

"It might be strong enough to close the portal," Selvig nodded. He turned to face the city and cast his gaze downward. "And I'm looking right at it!"

**Silvertongue's POV**

"Enough!" I bellowed as the vile creature known as the Hulk threw my host body through a stone wall as if it were a snowball. It was drenched in icy water, and it was cold; it shivered and trembled, whether from fear or the chill I wasn't sure, but I did not care. However, the gross liquid effectively nullified its powers, and I was temporarily helpless. But I would be damned if I allowed the monstrous beast to harass me into submission. "I am a God, you dull creature!" I shrieked, forcing Loki to his feet. I could feel the host protesting. I shoved his sentiment aside; he was a coward. "I will not be bullied by –"

Loki's feet swept out from beneath me and I smacked off the ground, my vision blurring. Again and again I was pushed farther back out of his mind with each blow, and I clung desperately to Loki's consciousness as the monster, his bulky hands clenched fast around my host's knees, pummeled the weak, humanoid form into the ground. But the repeated blows to his head jarred my grip. Suddenly I was spinning wildly, no longer able to hold on. I bellowed furiously in protest as I snapped back into my own head, buried deep underground with only one arm, the other crushed beneath a colossal boulder. I swore loudly in Russian, reaching out with my mind in an attempt to locate my scepter. While it wasn't needed to maintain a connection, I required it to channel my consciousness into Loki's mind. What I discovered horrified me; Loki didn't have it. It was flying freely through the air, unattended and abandoned. I knew that if the Avengers got a hold of it they would use it to demolish the portal. I began to dig. I had to get to the scepter before them, or all would be lost.

**Loki's POV**

Take over the world, he said. It will be easy, he said. What can the humans do against us, he said. What can they do but burn? I'll tell you what they can do; they can call upon the Hulk. Damn you, Silvertongue. Damn you to the Jotunheim, where your metallic body shall freeze eternally and move no more. Your own prejudices have brought me to this state, this pretense of villainy and hate. I do not love the human race, but I do not hate them either. Certainly, they are inferior, but what logic is it to bring a prince of Asgard to the Midgard to rule? What idiocy. But why had I followed through with his schemes in the first place? I may never know.

I felt like every bone had been broken in my body. I had tried to warn Mikal that the Hulk, above all the others, was not one to be trifled with. But, as usual, I was cast aside, merely the meager messenger to spew Mikal's terms to the world. I doubt the beast had even understood a word; however, I understood perfectly well the message the monster was trying to convey to me – to use an earth phrase, 'get the fuck off my planet, puny god!" Yes, I understood quite well. And right now, I was quite ready to go home. I was even ready to see my big brother. Even if Odin locked me up for eternity in Asgardian prison, I wanted to go home. It would be away from the Midgard and away from Mikal, and that's what I cared about right now. I could appeal to Odin's parental affection later. Suddenly, my blood ran cold. Or, colder than normal at least. One of those most unusual flashbacks that had plagued me these past few days flickered at the borders of my vision. However, this was different. This was not of happier times. This was dark, and cold, and forbidding…

"**The Chitauri grow restless!" snarled the Other, his blood red teeth glinting in the moonlight. I flinched slightly, hoping my trembling hands couldn't be seen beneath the sleeves of my robe. I was here on Mikal's request; he had had no previous dealings with the Chitaurian leader, but the Other had been demanding a conference for weeks. Mikal sent me in his stead; this seemed to be a recurring theme, but at the time I hadn't given it much thought. **_**Think, Loki! **_**I told myself, tightening a sweaty palm around Mikal's scepter. **_**What would Silvertongue say?**_

"**Let them grow restless!" I stated uneasily, turning away from the Other so that he could not see my eyes. They were filled with anxiety. "I will lead them into glorious battle soon enough." I began pacing slowly, keeping my face turned away.**

"**Battle!" the Other scoffed. "Against the meager might of earth?"**

"**Glorious, not lengthy. If your force is as formidable as you claim," I sneered. I could barely breathe my panic was so great, yet somehow I was managing to speak easily and calmly to the Other despite my fear of him. Being the God of Lies and Mischief pays off, I suppose. I felt my muscles tighten as a growl ripped from the Other's throat.**

"**You question us?" he bellowed in a voice that reminded me of when Thor had eaten a poisonous mushroom and his throat filled with mucus when we were boys. A smirk crossed my face as I thought about it; funny how these memories were resurfacing now, in a time of great peril. "Question **_**him? **_**He who put the scepter in your hands?**_**" **_**The Chitauri ruler threw an accusing finger toward the bizarre staircase into space and I winced. "He who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose?" Technically, Thanos had not given me anything. Though Mikal had never interacted with the Other himself (he believed the Chitauri below him), he had been in close conference with the godlike villain called Thanos for some time now. The pair of them had forged the scepter together for me to wield; I was simply their tool. "Who took you in when you were cast out? Defeated?" **

"**I was a king!" I shrieked, whirling around to face the Other, eyes blazing. "The rightful king of Asgard. Betrayed." Even to me, the words I attempted to fill with contempt and hate seemed hollow and juvenile. However, I kept up my arrogant façade and let my disgust toward the reeking copse across the small clearing leak into my face, hoping he would mistake it for dislike of my brother. The Other cackled darkly deep in his throat.**

"**Your ambition is little and full of childish need!" he scoffed. I sighed indifferently. "We look beyond the earth to greater worlds! The Tesseract will avail!"**

"**You don't have the Tesseract yet," I reminded him innocently, voice light. It was all I could do not to knife the Chitauri straight through the chest as he pounced close to my shoulder, the scent of death washing over me. I didn't bother keeping my look of disgust at bay. The Other's hand was raised threateningly, and he had to stand on tiptoe to shove his ghastly teeth in my face. "I don't threaten," I assured him, placing a hand on his chest to push him away in revulsion. I slipped away, turning my back to the Other and began to breathe again, now that the putrid stench of the alien wasn't so overwhelming. "But until I open the doors, until your force is ours to command, you are but words." I had only seen a king cobra once. It was a species from the Midgard, a breed of snake that, when threatened or angered, raised a hood on its neck and spat poison at its adversaries. The sound that emanated from the Other's mouth sounded dangerously close to the hiss the cobra made, and I couldn't shake the impression that the Other was very similar to that particular snake. I didn't much care for serpents of any sort, especially the cobra. The Other slithered close, lips curling into a sneer as I turned to face him. **

"**If you fail…" he snarled. "If the Tesseract is kept from us… There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevasse where we can't find you!" Extraneous spittle flew from his mouth and splattered across my face. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but it almost felt as if the liquid burned like venom. I turned away from him slowly, wiping my cheek with a green sleeve nervously. "You think you know pain?" sneered the voice of the Other. I flinched as his hand rested on my shoulder. "You will long for something as sweet as **_**pain!" **_**The Other's hand clenched around my face suddenly, his mucus coated hand muffling my scream. My eyes widened in terror as the reticulated vertebrae of a great python came into view, and I squirmed in horror as the beast's head snaked over the edge of the rocky clearing –**

I snapped back into my own head, feeling very uncomfortable. Yes, imprisonment on Asgard sounded completely desirable at this point.


End file.
